


Uchiha Matriarch

by kuchiki977



Series: Of Missed High-Fives and Time-Travel [5]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, F/M, Female Uzumaki Naruto, Kunoichi Empowerment, Naruto moms get swept aside far too often, POV Alternating, Pregnant Sex, Protective Uchiha Madara, Rampage - Freeform, Women Being Awesome, because Kishimoto can't write a woman to save his life, how does Konoha's administration and economy even work?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-09
Updated: 2020-12-10
Packaged: 2021-03-09 02:55:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 21,330
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27477664
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kuchiki977/pseuds/kuchiki977
Summary: In which Naruto decides to steer a fledgeling Konoha and her new clansmen around some nasty pitfalls to kill time. Meanwhile, Madara has a continuous heart attack forcompletelyunrelated reasons.
Relationships: Uchiha Madara/Uzumaki Naruko, Uchiha Madara/Uzumaki Naruto
Series: Of Missed High-Fives and Time-Travel [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1874794
Comments: 155
Kudos: 525
Collections: Fics that made me happy 2021, Foxy fox 🦊





	1. Idle Hands

_Hey, I never agreed to a roommate._

~xXx~

A jubilant Madara terrorizes Konoha for an afternoon. A skip in his step, he greets everyone he sees on his way to the council building with a smile. When Madara arrives, he nearly gives Tobirama a heart attack with a _very_ firm handshake, but Hashirama thoroughly enjoys his normally grumpy friend’s good humor. 

They leave the office early and the two of them almost drink a bar dry as they clamorously celebrate for the rest of the day. The bizarre day finally comes to an end when their younger brothers drag them back to their respective homes, but the denizens of Konoha are never quite the same after what they deem a collective hallucination.

~xXx~

The next morning, Madara wakes to a pounding headache and his wife sprawled on top of him. Naruto’s grip holds strong as always, so he drags them both back onto the futon and toward the water left out for him. He guzzles the water down and just as he is contemplating the most efficient way to transport Naruto downstairs, she wakes up. She mumbles into his abdomen, “Mornin.”

With a similar amount of enthusiasm, Madara grunts in reply. After she releases him, they slog their way to the living room and inhale their breakfast. Once they finish their meal, Naruto sends him a look over the table. Coyly, she asks, “You got time before the clan meetin’?”

“I do,” he replies in a similar tone and they swiftly climb the stairs. They manage to get half of their clothes off before Madara remembers why he has a hangover. Naruto’s underwear hits the opposite wall of their bedroom, but he forces himself to say, “Hold on, we can’t.” 

Naruto’s face scrunches up. “Why not?”

“We could...hurt the baby.”

She guffaws, but her laughter trails off as she realizes that he’s not kidding. “Seriously? We won’t hurt it, ya know.”

Skeptical, he asks, “Do you know that for sure?”

“Well, no...but I’m pretty sure we won’t?”

Her lack of certainty prompts him to firmly state, “I don’t want to take the chance.”

Her hand slips into his pants as she says directly into his ear, “Are ya su~re?”

A shiver goes up his spine as she strokes him, but he manages to force the words out, “Yes, I’m sure!”

With a pout, Naruto retracts her hand and flops back onto their futon. “Tease!”

“There may be...something else we can do,” Madara offers. At Naruto’s dubious look, he grasps her leg. Her interest is piqued when he coaxes her legs open, but her eyebrows disappear into her hairline when he lowers his face to the apex of her thighs. 

His assumption that using his tongue couldn’t be that different from using his fingers is proven wrong when it takes longer than usual to push her over the edge, but he’ll be getting ample practice from now on it would seem. Once her breathing evens out, she pushes him down to return the favor. Despite some initial difficulties, Naruto is quicker to pick it up, much to Madara’s frustration.

~xXx~

They’re frantically getting ready for the day when Madara stops her. “Where are you going?”

Thinking he hit his head or something, Naruto states the obvious as she zips up her jacket, “Uhh...the mission office?”

“No, you’re staying here,” he says with a baffling amount of conviction.

“How am I supposed to get missions, then?”

“You’re not going to.”

Eyes narrowed, Naruto says, “I must be hearin’ wrong, 'cuz it sounds an awful lot like you just told me I can’t go on missions, ya know.”

“That is exactly what I’m saying,” says Madara with that conviction that’s really starting to get on her nerves.

Feeling generous, she gives him one more chance, “Wanna try that again?”

He stubbornly digs his heels in. “No missions.”

“Yes missions,” she petulantly argues.

“And what of the baby?”

“What does the baby have to do with anything?”

“Say you get hurt—”

Naruto snaps, “Then I’ll heal!”

“Will the baby? You might be able to recover from injuries that would kill the average shinobi, but could the fragile life you’re carrying?”

It’s unfair how quickly he turned the tables. “K-kurama could—”

“Kurama might be able to block most of a hit, but what about the stress of battle?” When Naruto has no response for that, he continues, “Your definition of ‘acceptable risk’ and mine are quite different.”

“What’re you talkin’ about? You limp through the village gates with nothin’ but spite holdin’ ya together all the time!”

“That was one time, and I wasn’t pregnant, was I?”

Defeated, Naruto grumbles, “See if I get pregnant ever again.”

While slipping on his sandals, Madara scoffs, “With how much you dislike the taste of birth control, the Uchiha clan will be restored to its former glory before we know it. Once our son is born, you can go on as many missions as you like.”

The snake slips out the front door before her forehead protector makes contact with the back of his head, so she shouts after him, “I hope it’s a girl!”

~xXx~

“Stop slouching on the table!”

Naruto whines, “Rui-chan, be nice to me~!”

Rui sneers, but Misaki asks, “What’s the matter, Naruto-sama?”

Sliding her cheek against the living room table until Misaki enters her line of sight, Naruto sighs, “Just ‘Naruto’ is fine, ya know.”

Misaki balks. “I couldn’t!”

“You shouldn’t,” Rui adds.

Naruto asks Rui, “How come you can, but she can’t?”

Rui was raised better than to sigh, but she nearly gives into the urge. “You married into the main family, so you’re of higher status than Misaki. Izuna-sama and I, on the other hand, will take your place as the main family should anything happen.”

“So, you’re a back-up,” Naruto bluntly clarifies.

Seeing her sister’s rage at the statement, Misaki cuts in with a reminder to Naruto, “You never mentioned what happened.”

Scrunching her face up in distaste at the memory, Naruto answers, “Madara was a jerk n’ told me I can’t go on missions ‘cuz I’m pregnant.”

“Is that why you made such a racket outside my front door,” Rui snarks.

“Yeah...and I was pretty bored after training. What do you even do all day?”

Rui sniffs, “I perform my wifely duties.”

“Nah, I mean when Izuna isn’t home, ya know.”

Misaki blanches while Rui asks, “Could you be any more vulgar?”

Naruto sits up and shrugs. “It’s basically the same thing, right? Anyway, what is there to do?”

Misaki suggests, “We could go to a play—”

Immediately, Naruto and Rui shoot down the idea, “Nah.” “Not with _her_.” 

“We could go to Ichira—”

Rui cuts Naruto off, “Absolutely not. You might enjoy being the sole source of income for that filthy stand, but that doesn’t mean the rest of us do.”

“Hey! I’m not the only one that likes it, ya know! Madara and Hashirama go with me all the time! And it ain't filthy!”

“I’m sure you drag them there against their will.”

Naruto’s pout morphs into a smirk. “Oh yeah? What about Izuna?”

Rui’s eyes narrow. “What about Izuna-sama?”

“Izuna can get out of anythin’ he doesn’t want to do, but he always goes along with it when I suggest ramen. He’s even brought it up himself,” Naruto taunts.

“He would never—”

“Ya sure about that?”

Misaki’s eyes dart between the sisters-in-law as they trade quips. She steps in before it can get too nasty, “Perhaps, we should give ramen a try before we judge it?”

Her elder sister directs a betrayed look at her, but Naruto beams, “I can always count on you, Misaki-chan!”

~xXx~

On the walk back to the Uchiha district, Naruto smirks at Rui. “So~?”

“It was...passable,” she allows and walks a little faster.

Keeping pace beside her, Naruto prods, “O~h, is that why you drank _all_ of the broth?”

Rui sniffs, “It would be a waste not to clean my plate. In this case, bowl.”

“It was quite delicious. I look forward to eating it again, Naruto-sama,” Misaki adds.

Turning to face the youngest member of the group, Naruto declares, “We’re gonna keep goin’ until ya stop being so formal, Misaki-chan!”

Rui scoffs, “Hopefully, Misaki will cure you of that unrefined speech pattern.”

Naruto snorts, “You talk like you aren’t coming, too!”

~xXx~

Naruto’s limited patience thins as the week goes on and Madara’s pestering reaches absurd levels. Not only are sex and missions banned, but she can’t lay on her stomach nor can she do “strenuous activities” like training. After he prohibits ingesting food prepared by anyone other than herself or a member of the Uchiha clan, she finally snaps, “I’m _gonna_ eat at Ichiraku’s and there is _nothin’_ you can do to stop me.”

“Oh? And what if they poison—”

He may have had some good points before, but now he’s just being ridiculous. “ _You_ brought them here, ya know! Besides, I’m their best customer!”

“They have been cozying up to the Aburame clan recently—”

“Their stall is outside their district! They’re bein’ friendly neighbors! You should try it sometime!” At Madara’s dubious look, Naruto groans, “Were you always this paranoid or did you just hide it really well until now?”

Madara denies, “I’m just being cautious.”

In reply, Naruto covers her face and groans.

~xXx~

By the time the next clan meeting rolls around, Naruto is criminally bored. Bothering Madara serves the dual purpose of entertainment and revenge, but she won’t have anything to do while he’s occupied for a few hours. Everyone else Naruto regularly talks to is inconveniently busy and her garden is already well-hydrated, so she decides to tag along with Madara. He pointedly ignores her following after him until they get to the front door of their house. With a sigh, he turns to her and asks, “What are you doing?”

“I’m goin’ with ya to the clan meeting.”

Immediately, he refuses, “You can’t.”

“Why not? I’m an Uchiha, ya know.”

A satisfied look flashes across his face before he argues, “Women aren’t allowed.”

Clearly, he was banking on the lie, because he blanches when she points out, “What about the women I’ve seen comin’ outta the council buildin’ the same time you do?”

Madara tries a different approach, “I guarantee that it will bore you.”

“Couldn’t be more boring than sittin’ at home with nothin’ to do.”

“You would be surprised.”

“I wanna see for myself.”

With a sigh, Madara relents. “Fine, just don’t do anything distracting.”

~xXx~ 

As it turns out, Naruto’s mere presence is distracting. With the only blonde Uchiha seated next to the head of the clan at the front of the room, no one can quite focus on the contents of the meeting. Naruto feels distinctly out of place, but she has never let that stop her before and she won’t let it now. The number of disapproving looks she receives is a bit discouraging, but none dare to meet the glares Madara sends right back at them. While it is frustrating that he doesn’t think she can handle them on her own, Naruto can’t help thinking that it would have been nice to have him around for her childhood, impossible as that might have been. 

Just as Madara said, the contents of the meeting are pretty dry; some debate about moving the massive Uchiha graveyard closer to Konoha and basic interactions with other clans. Naruto spends the majority of the meeting taking in her surroundings. She never got to enter the old council building in the Uchiha settlement, but this one is pretty grand. All of the buildings in Konoha were built with Hashirama’s _Mokuton_ , but somehow the Uchiha district just seems more ritzy. Perhaps, it’s because of the people. 

Between the the sheer size of the main house and the horrid associations attached to it in her timeline, months passed before Naruto could actually call it “home,” but everyone else seems used to luxury. Then again, her clansmen are known for their pretentiousness. 

The fact that she has clansmen is also a new, but not at all unwelcome development. It didn’t really sink in until Madara badgered her into stitching the Uchiha symbol onto the backs of her clothes, but the results were rather satisfying. Naruto is very proud of her Uzumaki heritage and only agreed to change her name because Madara assured her that they can personally ensure that Uzushio is never destroyed, but having somewhere to belong in Konoha is something she has always wanted. She will never get tired of visiting the Uzumaki in Uzushio, but the feeling that her mom should be there might never go away. No one has ever heard of the name “Namikaze,” so it’s a toss up when her dad’s ancestors will join Konoha, if they still will.

Shaking off the somber thoughts, Naruto tunes back into the meeting as a particularly old man rambles on about upholding traditions. Some shuffling in the back of the room catches her eye. In the women’s section, quite a few of them are scowling or frowning. They feel her eyes on them and wipe their expressions off their faces before subtly bowing. Naruto gets a few confused looks when she makes the mistake of bowing her head in return, but most hide their amusement behind their hands. 

The meeting draws to a close soon after and Naruto notices that most of the women leave in groups. She assumed that they were just dragged to the meeting by their husbands, but apparently not. On the walk back home, she asks Madara, “So, who were those women _breakin’ the rules_ in the back?”

He sighs, “Mostly widows and single-mothers.”

That would explain why she doesn’t see them often. It doesn’t explain why they bother coming to a meeting that boring, though. “Why don’t they get to talk?”

Madara stops in his tracks and turns to look at her. “They’ve never asked to speak at a meeting.”

“Doesn’t mean they don’t have anythin’ to say, ya know,” Naruto retorts before entering the house ahead of a befuddled Madara.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And then, to the surprise of no one, the author complained: plot is hard. 
> 
> This fic’s outline underwent three rewrites before we got to the version you see today, but the good news is that I have written most of it already. That said, I have a tendency to get stuck on events two or three series installments down the line, so bear with me.


	2. Grassroots

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naruto gets a taste of clan politics and makes a bold move, much to Madara's disgruntlement.

With a great deal of free time on her hands, Naruto looks forward to the next clan meeting. This meeting is just as boring as the last, but she tries to pay attention so it doesn’t end before the women get their chance to speak. Just as Madara is about to call the meeting to a close, Naruto pointedly looks at her clanswomen sitting in the back and asks, “Does anyone have anythin’ to add?”

The women blink in confusion and look amongst themselves to see who Naruto is specifically addressing. Once they realize that Naruto has opened the floor to anyone who wants it, they break eye-contact with her. Silence stretches as Madara shifts beside her, but he doesn’t say anything. The men do a poor job of concealing their frustration and confusion at the hold-up until a woman finally stands up from the back row. She bluntly states, “I think we should raise the minimum age for missions.”

Immediately, the meeting hall erupts into chaos. One male voice shouts, “I’ve been going on missions since I could walk!”

Several others vehemently agree. More confident now that someone has taken the first step, the women start arguing with equal ferocity. Issues of tradition and economic repercussions crop up and are lost in the clamor until Madara silences them all, “Enough!”

Regardless of their seniority, everyone sits back down like chastised children. The tense atmosphere is palpable as their youthful leader dismisses them, “That is all for today.”

~xXx~

Word spreads quickly that women are welcome to share their opinions at clan meetings. The number of women in attendance triples by the next one. Most, if not all, of the women in the clan are present. The mayhem doesn’t start until after Madara begins the meeting, but it grows particularly heated as spouses join the fray and start throwing out personal grievances to back up their arguments. Naruto overhears a woman yelling about how she lost her husband and their only son on the same mission before Madara silences everyone once more. With everyone agitated from the argument, nothing of great importance is accomplished at this meeting, either. 

Afterward, Naruto wracks her brain for a solution. It’s great that the women aren’t reluctant to share their opinions anymore, but they aren’t being _heard._ A grin stretches across her face as an idea comes to her. She’ll just have to talk to them directly, without any shouting old men to get in the way.

~xXx~

The only opportune time to hold a women-exclusive clan meeting is at the same time as the usual one. Since the meeting hall will be occupied, the only building in the Uchiha district large enough to fit a crowd is the main house. The reasoning sounds logical to Naruto, but Madara adamantly disagrees, “Absolutely not.”

She tugs on his sleeve as she wheedles, “Come o~n. I’ll clean up any messes they make, ya know!”

Pointedly ignoring the phrasing that makes their clansmen sound like rowdy children, Madara retorts, “I’ve seen what you call ‘cleaning,’ so that is not at all reassuring.”

“Fine, I’ll tell ‘em not to make any messes in the first place.”

Madara sighs, “I’m glad that you’re taking such an interest in clan matters, but must we really have them in our house?”

Hands settled on her hips, Naruto argues, “There’s nowhere else for us to do it. ‘Sides, all we’re gonna do is organize our thoughts. Then, we’ll rejoin the regular meetings.” 

He still isn’t thrilled about having so many people in their house, even if they are kinsmen, but if it will cut down on the screaming at clan meetings, he’ll agree to just about anything. “Fine.”

Naruto pumps her fist. “Yes! You won’t regret it!”

“I sincerely doubt that.”

~xXx~

It surprises Naruto when a larger crowd than anticipated shows up on her doorstep for the women’s meeting. Misaki and Naruto rush to open up more rooms and slide doors aside to accommodate everyone while Rui greets and directs them to their seats. When they finally settle, the scene mirrors the normal meeting hall. Misaki and Rui flank Naruto as she sits front-and-center before their clanswomen. Women from all walks of life blankly stare at Naruto as they wait for her to start the meeting. Somehow, the neat rows and columns they’re sitting in are intimidating. 

Rushing into things headfirst is what she’s used to, so her opening statement is a straightforward declaration. “I have some ideas that’ll solve some of our problems, but we’ll make a list for any other demands we have.”

The flash of interest in the eyes of the women sitting in the front row encourages Naruto to continue. “Specifically, I was thinkin’ of a ranking system for shinobi and missions.”

She stayed out of most of the planning of the village because she didn’t want to screw anything up for the future and she wasn’t sure when the aspects of the Konoha she knew would be introduced. Since her Konoha no longer exists, she might as well get the shinobi and mission ranking system going in this one. If they didn’t already have it by the time Hashirama steps down and she becomes Hokage, Naruto had been planning to start it, but if she can get it off the ground now, all the better.

Once she gives them all of the information she remembers about it, she also mentions opening up mission requests to the general public. Naruto knows from experience that there are plenty of farmers that need their equipment cleaned or their crops harvested. D-rank missions always bored her, but they paid all the same. Some of the upper class ladies in the audience turn up their noses at the thought of proud Uchiha lowering themselves to odd jobs, but Naruto can hear the working women in the back whispering excitedly.

Overall, her clanswomen are quite receptive to her proposal. They especially like the significantly reduced possibility of outliving their children. Naruto can sympathize with their concerns now more than ever as her belly grows rounder by the day.

~xXx~

A shinobi must be prepared for anything and everything. Thus, it is more than a bit embarrassing when Madara is startled awake by his wife roughly shaking his shoulder. Thinking they’re under attack, he springs into motion, but all he has to face is a disgruntled Naruto. Heaving a sigh, Madara relaxes his fighting stance and settles back onto their futon. He bluntly inquires, “What is it?”

“I’m hungry, ya know,” she informs. 

Quickly losing patience with this conversation, he says,“Then, go get some food.”

“We don’t have what I want,” she states matter-of-factly.

He rubs at his face in exasperation as he reasons, “Then, just wait until morning.”

Naruto whines, “But I want it no~w and the line will be so lo~ng by the time I get there.”

“Then, I guess you’ll have to make do without,” he curtly replies. 

~xXx~

Madara curses many things as he stands in an obscenely long line; the chilly breeze, the way the early morning sun shines directly into his eyes, the overpowering perfume of the elderly woman in front of him. However, more than all of these unpleasant factors combined, he curses Mito. If she hadn’t introduced Naruto to the extremely popular sweets shop that just opened up in Konoha, Madara wouldn’t be in this predicament in the first place.

Normally, Naruto is indifferent to sweets, but something about this particular establishment’s manju necessitates him waiting in line for almost thirty minutes. Luckily, he advanced to second in the line after four people in front of him beat a hasty retreat under the heat of his glare, but the front of the line remains staunchly held by an elderly civilian woman. Due to obstinacy or obliviousness, she remains completely unaffected by Madara. In any other circumstance, he might be impressed, but right now she is one of a select few people preventing him from enjoying his day off. Another, the shopkeep, made the mistake of peeking outside and catching Madara’s eye. He has been hiding ever since, but he will be forced to confront Madara when the shop opens in the next few minutes.

Time passes at a snail’s pace as Madara waits, but the shop reluctantly opens for the day. The people in line behind him twitch like they want to rush past him, but they wisely think better of it. The woman in front of him approaches the door so slowly that Madara just goes ahead of her to hold it open. The woman gradually raises her head to look at him before thanking him with a smile. “How kind. Thank you.”

“It’s no trouble,” he impatiently huffs and follows her through the door. Thankfully, she wastes no time deciding what to purchase. In contrast, the man at the counter takes ages to fulfill her order as he moves with exaggerated caution. Madara directs his gaze elsewhere to let the shopkeep relax in the hope that it will speed this entire ordeal along.

“You don’t strike me as the type to have a sweet tooth, Madara-sama.”

He looks down at the old woman. Her eyes have a sly amusement to them that he didn’t notice before. He tersely replies, “I’m here for my wife.”

She chuckles, “Such a dutiful husband you are. She’s very lucky to have you.”

The unexpected praise throws him off and he responds without thinking, “Thank you…”

The clerk reluctantly chimes in,“H-here you are, ma’am.”

She takes the bag with a word of thanks before turning back to Madara with a smile, “You have a wonderful day, now.”

Dumbfounded, he watches as she exits the shop and shuffles out of sight. Remembering his purpose for being here, he slams money on the counter and orders, “Three boxes of yaki manju.”

The strange encounter fades to the back of his mind as the shopkeep jumps to do his bidding. When he gets home, Naruto dashes to the sink and pukes once she catches a whiff of the perfume sticking to him, but she happily inhales all of the manju in one sitting—two rooms away from him.

~xXx~

A few weeks later, a chill up her spine partially rouses Naruto from her slumber. She rolls over and gropes the futon in search of Madara. Finding only a vaguely warm indent, she sits up. Instead of Madara, she finds a set of clothes on the tatami beside her. It takes her a moment to remember that he had to leave early for his mission in the Land of Water. He must have noticed how tight her clothes have been getting lately and set them out for her before he left.

Once finished with her morning routine, Naruto returns to the bedroom to get dressed. She inspects the clothes from every angle, but it doesn’t change the fact that they’re traditional Uchiha garb. Unlike Madara’s version, however, the bottoms are a skirt. She isn’t too fond of that, but the roominess might make up for the annoyance. 

Naruto pulls the long shirt on and shoves her head through the satellite dish collar. Surprisingly, it isn’t as awkward as she thought it was going to be. Eating without dropping any food down into it will take some practice, though. She snorts at the thought of young Uchiha desperately trying to keep food from falling down their shirts and half-expects Sasuke to barge in and yell at her for ridiculing Uchiha fashion sense. Letting the bittersweet thought go, Naruto steps into the skirt and yanks it up her legs. The feeling of her bare thighs rubbing together is distracting as she descends the stairs and approaches the front door, but at least the clothes aren’t straining across her belly. She crams her feet into her sandals and heads out the door toward her destination: the Senju compound.

The first women-exclusive clan meeting went so well that Naruto impulsively said they would have another when asked by some of her clansmen after the meeting. She thought they had been pretty productive already, but she wasn’t going to discourage them now that they’ve made so much progress. Besides, they must have more ideas if they want to keep meeting. 

In her excitement, Naruto shared the news with Mito during one of their visits. After hearing what they were trying to accomplish, Mito suggested the meeting be opened up to the Senju, as well. Since the changes they’re trying to get off the ground will affect the whole village, Naruto readily accepted. Better still, Mito offered to have the meeting in the Senju meeting hall, so Madara won’t be so paranoid.

Naruto spots a group of Uchiha women waiting by the district gate as she approaches. She greets them and they greet her with polite bows. Quite a few of their gazes linger on her attire, but she likes to think they approve. Apparently, they were waiting for her since Naruto ends up the leader of a crowd that just so happens to be heading to the same location. 

Once they arrive at the Senju compound, the atmosphere is noticeably frosty. Despite being something like neighbors for nearly two years, old war wounds are still fresh and neither clan is eager to mix. The meeting hall is big enough for everyone to have personal space, but each clan sits in a tightly-packed group, as far away from their former enemies as they can get. The Uchiha sit in scarily neat formation once more, but they have a decidedly unfriendly vibe about them. The Senju aren’t much different. 

Mito warned her that they wouldn’t instantly be friendly toward each other, so Naruto resists the urge to mix up seating arrangements. They’re all here because they want to improve Konoha. They’ll eventually build up camaraderie as time goes on—she hopes. 

Regardless of the tension in the air, they have a productive meeting. With some helpful reminders from Misaki, Naruto recounts everything the Uchiha decided on at the last meeting. Just as her clanswomen did, the Senju approve of raising the minimum age to go on missions and introducing a ranking system. They also have a slew of suggestions for the academy’s curriculum. The specifics spark a debate, but Naruto is pleased to note that it remains civil. 

When the debate reaches a standstill, Mito suggests they continue the discussion at the next meeting. Naruto wholeheartedly agrees and stands to stretch her stiff legs. The rest of the Uchiha rise and follow her to the door. Having an entourage is still strange to Naruto, but she can’t deny that she kind of enjoys it. Better still, there isn’t as much distance between them and Mito’s flock as they exit the meeting hall.

~xXx~

While out on a walk through the district, Naruto spots Misaki and Rui carrying boxes up the stairs to Naka Shrine. She shouts in greeting, “Hey, whatcha guys doin?”

Misaki jumps in surprise before smiling back, but her sister cuts her off before she can return the greeting, “Do you _know_ how to be quiet?!”

“You’re pretty loud yourself, ya know,” Naruto retorts as she approaches them on the stairs.

Misaki cuts back in, “We’re going to clean the shrine.”

Climbing a few steps, Naruto says, “I’m pretty bored, so I’ll help ya.”

“Absolutely not,” comes Rui’s blunt refusal.

“Why not? It’ll get done faster if I help,” Naruto argues with a pout.

“You’re terrible at cleaning and there are delicate antiques that I don’t trust you with,” Rui replies matter-of-factly.

The cagey answer catches Naruto’s attention. Rui would usually jump at the chance to order her around, so she must be hiding something. A realization dawns upon her. “If this is about the secret bunker—”

Rui immediately shushes her and admonishes, “Not so loud!”

“What? Did ya think Madara didn’t tell me about it?”

Though Rui looks quite displeased that he did, she opts to ignore Naruto’s question. Instead, she asserts, “If you’re aware of it, then you know that there are precious artifacts within it. _Fragile_ artifacts.”

Naruto insists, “Hey, I can be careful! Tell her, Misaki-chan!”

With all attention suddenly on her, Misaki breaks eye-contact and trails off, “Well...”

Affronted, Naruto gasps, “Misaki-chan, not you, too! Now I gotta prove you both wrong!”

As Naruto stubbornly passes them on the stairs, Rui primly informs, “I’m not responsible for any catastrophes you cause.”

~xXx~

Rui may have let her tag along, but she makes sure that Naruto is far away from the delicate items in the surprisingly spacious bunker. Thus, Naruto finds herself tasked with dusting an immobile stone tablet. 

Kurama interrupts her frustrated grumbling. _You_ **_do_ ** _know which tablet this is, right?_

The two sisters are cleaning in the other room, but Naruto responds mentally, just in case. _Not really. Why do you know?_

_Remember how Black Zetsu fooled Madara the first time?_

It takes her a moment to realize what he means, but she backs away from it once she does. _This is_ **_that_ ** _tablet?!_

_Of course, it is._

_But, it doesn’t matter anymore since Black Zetsu’s gone, right?_

Kurama questions, _What makes you think the tablet hasn’t been altered already?_

That’s a fair point. She has no way of knowing since she can’t read it. Even so, she argues, _Well...even if he did, it’s fine ‘cuz Madara isn’t gonna go off the deep end this time._

He reluctantly allows, _Perhaps...but you have his spawn growing inside you._

Naruto’s brow knits in confusion. _So?_

 _If using Hashirama’s cells allowed the first Madara to awaken the Rinnegan, then a child with Uzumaki and Uchiha genes would be theoretically capable of_ **_naturally_ ** _awakening it,_ Kurama explains with no small amount of exasperation.

“Oh shit.”

_‘Oh shit’ indeed._

~xXx~

Madara is glad to be home after a tedious escort mission in the Land of Water. Not only was his charge pompous and cowardly, but the wealthy merchant fancied himself an expert on combat despite a total lack of experience. When he wasn’t prattling on about how many unnecessary movements Madara made while protecting him from deadly projectiles, he was lording his imaginary privilege over him. Needless to say, Madara was all too happy to leave him at the door to his gaudy estate. Somehow, the trip back was even more unpleasant because he had ample time to think about all the trouble Naruto could be getting into in his absence.

He breathes a sigh of relief when he returns to a house that is still intact. The relief is short-lived as he slides open the door and the sound of Naruto’s rushed gait approaches him. Just as she turns the corner and enters his view, Madara hisses, “Take it easy! What if you fall?!”

Completely ignoring his warning, Naruto pulls him into an embrace and greets, “Welcome home!”

“You seem happy,” Madara huffs and allows her to pull him deeper into the house. He has a feeling that he won’t be spending the foreseeable future relaxing as they pass by the living room and start climbing the stairs. The suspicion is confirmed when she drags him into their bedroom and pushes him down onto their already laid-out futon. 

“Happy to see you,” she returns before climbing on top of him. Grasping the back of her neck, Madara closes the gap between their mouths as she strokes him through his pants. He quickly peels off his gloves before slipping a hand underneath her skirt. The futon could be attributed to her forgetful nature, but Naruto was clearly expecting him and prepared accordingly if she’s already _this_ drenched.

Impatient as always, she roughly tugs his pants down and his fundoshi aside before positioning herself over him. Madara still has the presence of mind to resist the temptation. With a firm grasp on her hips, he stops her in her tracks and breaks their lip-lock. She chases after him, but he turns his face away to remind her, “I told you, we could hurt—”

“We won’t,” Naruto states with enough confidence that he almost believes her. Twirling a circle on his chest, she wheedles, “Don’tcha miss me~?”

Of course he does, but he won’t forgive himself if something happens to the baby. His conviction wavers as she wriggles through his grasp and coaxes the tip inside. In between calming breaths, he argues, “We can’t—”

Frustrated, Naruto takes a break from sucking his neck and impatiently informs, “Mito said we can do it like we normally do, ya know!”

Able to focus a bit more, Madara maintains, “She’s not a doctor.”

“She was there for her sisters and cousins when they started having babies,” she insists.

“That doesn’t make her an expert—”

“More than you,” she stubbornly retorts before slipping through his hands and roughly dropping down onto him. Pleasantly full, Naruto trembles and coos, “A~h, I missed you~”

Enveloped to the base, he exhales through his nose and resists the urge to roughly thrust his hips upward. He quips, “Are you saying that to me, or...?”

“Both. I like sittin’ on your face n’ all, but I like bein’ _connected_ better,” she remarks before rising to her knees and bearing down again. Pregnancy must finally be catching up to her because she doesn’t have the energy to ride him as aggressively as usual. Seeing her frustration, Madara rolls them over as gently as possible. Naruto lets go of her aggravation as Madara rocks against her. At her insistence, he picks up the pace and before long they both feel internal pressure building until it can no longer be contained.

Before he has completely come down from his high, words rush out of Naruto’s mouth, “IRasenganedthetablet.”

Unable to process the unintelligible utterance, he asks, “What?”

Pulling him down on top of her, she murmurs, “I said, ‘let’s go again.’”

~xXx~

Sidling up to him, Naruto cajoles, “He~y, you’re not still mad at me, are ya?”

Madara only directs a glare in her direction before turning back to his view of the garden—her garden. It pleased him when he saw her wearing traditional clan attire when he first got home, but now he’s tempted to tell her to take it off. He thought she trusted him enough not to destroy precious clan artifacts, but apparently not. The only reason he found out is because Izuna came by to ask what he wanted to do with the leftover fragments. Worst of all, Naruto used an extremely dangerous technique without any regard for the baby.

“Okay, but I know someone you’re not mad at,” she says while resting her weight against him; her protruding stomach pressing into his side. He’s tempted to snatch his hand back out of spite when she clasps it with her own, but he allows her to hold it against her belly. If she thinks he’ll forgive her with a gesture as simple as this, she had best have a backup plan.

As if conspiring against him, their child chooses that moment to make their presence known. A gentle, yet distinct pressure against his palm garners his full attention. Setting aside his ire, Madara turns to face Naruto and places his other palm on her stomach. She laughs at the intense look of concentration on his face as he gropes her stomach in search of another sensation, “See? Even the baby wants you to forgive me.”

“Our son hasn’t even been born yet and he’s already opposing me,” Madara huffs. It must be the Uzumaki genes.

Naruto argues, “It could be a girl, ya know.”

“The main family has been blessed with sons since the dawn of time,” he affirms.

“There’s a first time for everything,” she hums dubiously before patting her lap. “If ya put your face up against my tummy, maybe she’ll punch you in the cheek.”

He lays his head in her lap, but he reminds her, “Don’t think I’ve forgotten about the tablet.”

She sighs, “For the last time, the baby was never in any danger and I trust that you won’t lose your marbles.”

Sometimes, it feels like she speaks an entirely different language. He wonders if their great-grandchildren will use the same colloquialisms that she does, or if they’ll have completely different ones because she introduced them decades ahead of their time. “Marbles?”

“I meant ‘go crazy.’”

Back on topic, he frowns. Knowing that what she considers “kinda risky” is most people’s “certain death,” he finds it extremely hard to believe that the baby couldn’t have been hurt, but he just has to take her word for it that her stomach wasn’t hit. However, he stands by his opinion that the tablet didn’t need to be broken in the first place. “If you trust me, then why destroy it?”

“Just ‘cuz _you’re_ not thinking of world domination doesn’t mean our kids or grandkids or great-grandkids won’t,” she defends. 

The reasoning doesn’t justify her decision, but Madara supposes that he can understand her concern. They may not be embroiled in war anymore, but the life of a shinobi is a harsh one. Try as they might, there’s no protecting their children from reality. If they suffer enough tragedies, who knows how far they’ll be willing to go. He sighs as their baby pushes against his cheek, “Just don’t break anything else.”

“Funny you should say that, ‘cuz my water just broke.”

Madara shoots up. “WHAT?!”

She smirks, “Gotcha~!”

He groans as he sinks back down into her lap. Her cackling detracts from the comforting pat she gives his head.


	3. Foundation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (Uzumaki-)Senju Mito, best bro and MVP of the KWA.

As the Uchiha and Senju women come to agreements more often than not during the joint meetings, something of a fellowship develops. It takes them a while, but they graduate from merely coexisting in the same space to exchanging tentatively friendly greetings. The sight of hesitant intermingling after yet another meeting spurs Naruto to suggest to the room at large, “Let’s have lunch together!”

All heads snap in her direction, but Mito breaks the stunned silence, “I agree, but I don’t think Ichiraku Ramen can seat us all. Actually, there probably isn’t a restaurant in the village large enough.”

Naruto deflates. “Dang.”

Misaki offers an alternative, “Perhaps everyone could bring bento to the next meeting?”

“Yeah, let’s do that,” Naruto wholeheartedly agrees. “Any objections?”

Most of them are still pretty stunned, but a few shake their heads in the negative. Mito chuckles, “It’s decided, then.”

~xXx~

The truth that Naruto has never made a bento only comes to light during one of her “intrusions” in Rui and Izuna’s house. Neither Rui nor Misaki are surprised by the news. Seemingly perpetually exasperated with Naruto, Rui notes with a barely restrained sigh, “Only _you_ would suggest an informal luncheon without any thought for preparation.”

Naruto pouts as she mutters, “You can just call it a ‘picnic,’ ya know.”

Raising her voice slightly, she continues, “What were you planning to do? Pilfer food? Are you determined to drag the Uchiha name through the mud?”

“We~ll, I was hoping you would share your delicious lunch with me, Rui-sama,” Naruto sweet-talks and flutters her eyelashes.

“If by ‘share’ you mean ‘make one for you,’ then absolutely not,” comes Rui’s sharp response. Standing from her floor pillow and heading to the kitchen, she informs, “I will, however, show you how to make one yourself.”

Misaki and Naruto exchange shocked glances before following after her. Naruto coos, “Aw, you’re so nice, Rui-chan!”

Rui turns her nose up. “Don’t be ridiculous. I’m only helping you because I’ll feel responsible if you poison Madara-sama and your child.”

~xXx~

In the end, Naruto’s bento is more simplistic in appearance than some of the more impressive ones that other women made, but she’s pleased to note that it tastes better than anything else she has made to date. Though, that might be due to how much she enjoyed making it during Rui’s surprisingly patient lesson, and the good company she eats it with. 

Naruto enjoys eating with everyone so much that she doesn’t even mind when Rui conveys her displeasure at the position of Naruto’s legs with a covert smack to her knee for the millionth time. Honestly, it’s a shame that she never became a shinobi with stealth skills like hers. With a blatant grimace, Naruto reluctantly shifts from her cross-legged position and back into a “proper” seiza.

Content to hear friendly conversations going on all around her, Naruto is utterly caught off guard and nearly chokes on a mouthful of rice when someone asks her, “Is it true that you _chose_ to marry Madara-sama?”

Naruto coughs as Rui agitatedly pats her back and Misaki rushes to pour some tea for her. The Senju woman who asked, Sugi, apologizes profusely as Naruto guzzles down the tea. It’s unclear whether the other conversations pause because of the commotion or because they want to hear Naruto’s reply, but she eventually clears her throat and answers, “I’m fine, don’t worry about it. To answer your question: yeah, I did.”

Emboldened by Naruto’s candid answer, another woman asks, “What do you like about him—if you don’t mind me asking!” 

A third adds, “I mean, he’s certainly good-looking, but...”

Naruto struggles to put Madara’s charm into words before settling on, “He’s pretty funny, ya know.”

Beside her, Misaki gapes. “Madara-sama tells...jokes?”

She explains with a laugh, “Nah, he’s actually pretty shy. Really easy to tease, too. Like, I smacked his butt while we were arguin’ the other day and he couldn’t decide whether to be angry or embarrassed. It was great.”

Several women openly gape at the anecdote and the rest murmur amongst themselves. It makes Naruto wonder if they think of Madara as some sort of untouchable, wrathful god. Then again, he might seem that way from their point of view. His reputation could definitely stand to be improved, so she resolves to talk him up whenever possible. It shouldn’t be too hard since the other women seem very interested in hearing more about Madara. Another question brings her back to the conversation, “What is he _like?"_

Brow knit in confusion, Naruto asks, “His personality?”

Mito leans over to whisper in her ear, “She means when you’re being intimate.”

“O~h, he’s great. I’d say give ‘im a try, but he’s mine.” Girl talk has never been Naruto’s forté, but the answer earns her quite a few giggles, so maybe it gets easier when you don’t have the same object of affection and you’re already married. 

~xXx~

“So, I hear you’ve been busy recently, Uchiha-sama.”

Even with Madara’s baby weighing her down, Naruto assumes that the statement is directed at someone else and continues to eat her ramen. After some helpful advice from Misaki, the noodles seldom catch on her high collar now, but it still takes a fair amount of concentration to keep herself from looking like a fool. Well, Naruto probably still looks pretty ridiculous angling her head at an odd angle to accommodate the added distance her stomach puts in between her stool and the counter, but it’s an improvement nonetheless.

When she feels eyes boring into her skull, she looks to the side to see two women staring at her blankly. They look familiar somehow. “You talkin’ to me?”

One of them snarks, “Well, you’re the only Uchiha sitting at this stand, aren’t you?”

Naruto double-checks, but finds none of her clansmen enjoying Ichiraku Ramen at the moment. In fact, they’re the only three customers. Finally, she answers, “I guess so.”

“Right,” says the same woman. Gesturing to herself and her companion, she introduces, “Nara Shizuka and Akimichi Hotaru.” 

Naruto responds in kind, “Uchiha Naruto. Nice to meetcha.”

Impatiently nodding, Shizuka continues, “Likewise. Anyway, we have a couple questions for you.”

“Shoot,” Naruto responds.

Shizuka blinks. “What?”

“Ask away,” Naruto corrects.

Glad to finally be back on topic, Shizuka asks, “There’s some scuttlebutt going around that the Uchiha and Senju clans are having meetings...”

“Yep,” Naruto confirms.

Shizuka pauses as if confused. Beside her, Hotaru looks up from her ramen to eye Naruto. Assuming they’re mad about being left out, Naruto invites, “You guys wanna come, too?”

Dumbfounded, Shizuka replies, “Huh?”

“Wait, I dunno if we can fit women from the Nara and Akimichi clans in the Senju meeting hall...You know a place we could hold it?”

Hotaru asks, “It’s women-exclusive?”

“Yep. We’re gathering our ideas together before we bring ‘em to the village council, ya know. I was waitin’ till everybody got along before I started invitin’ other clans, but I think we’re—”

Shizuka interjects, “ _That’s_ all it is?”

“Whaddya mean? It’s pretty important stuff, ya know!”

Shaking her head, Shizuka continues, “Nevermind. Anyway, if I’m understanding you correctly, they’re _inclusive_ _committee_ meetings.”

“Yep. Interested?”

Stupefied at how well the interrogation went, both women nod.

~xXx~

In the beginning, only a few wary women trickle in, but word spreads fast that the meeting is exactly as Naruto described. Before long, the Senju meeting hall is overflowing with women from every clan in Konoha. One overcrowded meeting and unanimous vote later, each clan agrees to send a select number of representatives. Thus, the Konoha Women’s Association is born. 

The newfound organization finalizes their proposal in a matter of weeks. At the final meeting before they confront the village council, Naruto whoops, “They can’t say ‘no’ to us now!”

“I wouldn’t be so sure,” Shimura Kirie quietly comments from across the table. Her clan only recently joined the KWA, but Kirie always has thoughtful insight. Despite her withdrawn nature, she is also a lot nicer than Naruto expected Danzo’s mom to be. 

“She’s right,” Shizuka agrees. “Our presentation to the council is just as important as the proposal, itself.”

Puzzled, Naruto asks, “Whatcha mean?”

All heads in the room slowly turn toward Naruto as Mito adds, “We need to send someone that they won’t be _able_ to ignore.”

~xXx~

Madara is just as surprised as the other members of the village council when his very pregnant wife strides into the meeting room. She sheds her serious expression to wave at him, but it slides back into place soon after. Naruto squints at the notes someone else must have written for her before folding the paper and wedging it under her belt. She exhales before looking Hashirama dead in the eye. “I’m here as the spokesperson for the Konoha Women’s Association and we would like to propose some changes.”

While Naruto lists off demands that the entire kunoichi population apparently agreed upon, Madara can’t help but wonder how her interest in clan matters turned into spearheading a village-wide organization. He encouraged her to make friends with Rui and Misaki in the hope that they would be a positive influence on her and keep her from getting into trouble in her boredom, but apparently they were just dragged along on this escapade. Perhaps, it was too much to hope that Naruto would ever take it easy—pregnant or not. 

Despite her audience’s overwhelmingly unsupportive reaction once she finishes her list, Naruto maintains her composure. Tobirama breaks the uncomfortable silence with a firm denial, “What you’re suggesting isn’t feasible.”

Naturally, Naruto stubbornly disagrees, “Yeah, it is.”

As if trying to reason with an unruly child, Tobirama sighs, “Even if we agreed to _reform the entire system_ , where would we get the money to finance it?”

“The daimyō—”

“—would never agree to an _unnecessary_ expenditure,” Tobirama finishes for her.

“What I’m hearin’ is you’re fine with sendin’ _our_ _kids_ out onto _battlefields,_ ” she retorts.

Gesturing around the table of council members, Tobirama reminds her, “It’s an unfortunate reality _we_ were raised in and have come to accept.”

“If it’s so _unfortunate,_ then you’ll take us seriously if we get the money to do it, right?”

The fool challenges her, “In the _extremely unlikely_ event that you produce enough money to fund expanding the academy, hiring enough instructors, and any other related expenses; the council will seriously consider your proposal.”

“Deal,” Naruto agrees with that determined look in her eye that promises a headache for Madara later.

~xXx~

The rest of the day goes by slowly as Madara restlessly sits through meeting after meeting. When they’re finally released for the day, he rushes home to confront Naruto. His anxiety spikes when he arrives at an empty house. An hour passes until the front door finally slides open. She cheerily calls out, “I’m home!”

“ _Welcome home,_ ” Madara answers.

Picking up on his displeasure, Naruto approaches the living room to face him. Upon taking in his frown and rigid stance, she asks, “Whatsa matter?”

“Where were you?”

“With Mito.”

“ _Just_ Mito?”

“Does it matter?”

“Does the safety of _our child_ matter?”

Naruto throws her head back and groans, “Not this again. It seems an awful lot like you wanna just lock me up until the baby comes, ya know.”

The thought has occurred to him, but he doubts she wants to hear that. Instead, he says, “From my point of view, you’re trying your hardest to get yourself or the baby killed.”

“How?!”

“Where do I start? Having clan members in the house is one thing, but other clans?”

“We meet in the Senju meeting hall! But even if we met here, what’s so bad about having guests in our house?!”

“They could set traps—”

“Do you hear yourself?! They’ve been our neighbors for years—”

“Less than three,” he corrects.

“ _They’re not our enemies,_ ” Naruto emphasizes. Ignoring his disbelieving hum, she sighs, “What’s the point of livin’ in a village if you’re just waitin’ for everyone to betray you?”

Since he doesn’t have a retort for that point, he switches to a different one. “I still don’t like how little you’ve been resting at home.”

“They’re meetings, not a marathon!” At Madara’s stern look, she relents, “I’ll take more naps if you promise to chill out.”

In no mood to entertain her idioms, he stipulates, “At _home._ ”

“At home,” she agrees with a huff. “Now that we’ve got that outta the way, you want anything from the capital while I’m there?”

~xXx~

“So, I can’t go to the capital ‘cuz Madara’s bein’ difficult,” Naruto complains while slouching into Mito’s couch. If Rui were here, she would be quick to correct the behavior, but Misaki merely smiles sympathetically as Naruto rests her aching back and legs. 

Surmising that they must have had another fight, Mito gives her the opportunity to vent about it, “‘Difficult?’”

“He threatened to personally watch over me until the baby comes.”

“That’s a tad...extreme,” Mito comments. In comparison to Naruto’s admittedly cavalier approach to pregnancy, her husband seems to stress out about it to an excessive degree. Based on Naruto’s anecdotes, his heart is in the right place, but Mito hopes they find a middle ground soon because she highly doubts they’ll stop at one child.

“Apparently, he’s been talkin’ to a midwife or somethin’ and they told him that,” she stops to contort her face and lower her voice to do a purposefully awful impression of Madara,“‘long distance traveling isn’t wise.’”

Smothering a chuckle in the sleeve of her kimono, Mito responds, “I see. I suppose we just need to bring the daimyō here.”

Sitting up in her seat, Naruto exclaims, “That’s an option?!”

“Well, Ojii-sama has quite a few connections, so he might be able to persuade the daimyō to visit Konoha,” Mito explains with a sly smile.

Naruto must be rubbing off on her, because Misaki gapes just as openly at the possibility.

~xXx~

Jii-chan is the _best._ Naruto can’t stop thinking about how amazing he is as she and Mito sit in Konoha’s most expensive restaurant with the daimyō of the Land of Fire. Misaki and Rui had panic attacks at just the thought of having lunch with the daimyō, so they refrained from joining them. Rui took the time to sternly warn Naruto not to get the clan banished or something, though. It turns out that they worried for nothing, because Mitsuhiro—as he insists Naruto call him—is really friendly. 

He has a reputation as a serious, miserly young man, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Not only is he generous with his smiles and compliments, but he patiently listens to Naruto’s whole spiel for the Konoha Women’s Association and offers to finance it if she’ll personally introduce him to Ichiraku Ramen. Apparently, Jii-chan managed to convince Mitsuhiro to visit Konoha for the opportunity to sample their “rare cuisine.” It seems like an awfully simple gesture for what Tobirama implied to be an outrageous amount of money, but Naruto isn’t going to question it.

With a promise to meet up for dinner, Mitsuhiro pays for their whole meal and retreats back to the nearby inn he reserved. The second he and his entourage of guards disappear out of view, Mito excuses herself, “I have some errands to run, but come by the house tomorrow and tell me how it went, okay?”

“I don’t mind goin’ with ya—”

“Oh, these are terribly boring errands, I’m afraid,” says Mito before turning and heading down the street. She hadn’t mentioned any urgent plans before they had lunch, but they must be important with how fast she disappears around a corner.

With a shrug, Naruto makes her way back to the Uchiha district. Napping should kill some time before dinner and it’ll get Madara to calm down a little bit.

~xXx~

Madara runs into Hashirama’s wife just as he’s exiting the hokage’s office. Mito smiles politely and greets, “Hello, Madara-sama.”

The woman usually has her hands full with Hashirama or Naruto, so they have never done much more than exchange greetings. “Mito.”

Unruffled by his aloof response, she asks, “Is my husband alone in his office?”

“He is,” Madara informs as he clears the doorway for her.

“Wonderful,” she replies while stepping around him. The door nearly closes behind her, but she holds it ajar to look back at him. Mito smiles a little wider before adding, “Oh, and you’ll be pleased to know that Naruto is resting at home as we speak.”

Unsure of what to do with the sudden news from an unlikely source, Madara trails off, “Thank you...”

“You’re quite welcome,” Mito says before promptly closing the door. Turning toward the only occupant of the room, she sees her husband’s curious expression.

Brow knit, Hashirama asks, “Is something wrong?”

Her hair tags swish as she shakes her head and answers, “No, I just came to tell you something.”

Genuine interest obvious in his expression, he prompts, “Oh?”

“You didn’t hear it from me, but you-know-who will be dining at a certain ramen stand tonight,” Mito nonchalantly informs.

Playing along, he guesses, “Naruto?”

“She’ll be accompanying him.”

He guesses again, “Madara?”

“No...”

“Who?”

“You’ll have to go see for yourself,” she playfully explains.

Matching her tone, Hashirama asks, “O~h. It’s a surprise?”

“Of a sort,” Mito replies with a sly smile.

~xXx~

Halfway through dinner, a loud voice calls out from behind them. “Why if it isn’t Naruto and Mitsuhiro-sama!”

Mouth full, Naruto waves distractedly while Mitsuhiro returns the greeting with much less enthusiasm, “Hashirama-san...”

Pulling up a stool next to Mitsuhiro, Hashirama motions to Kenta to give him the usual before continuing, “If I had known you were visiting, I would have held a banquet in your honor!”

“That’s really not necessary—”

Hashirama shakes his head in the negative and insists, “Nonsense! You’re our honored guest!”

“I’m only here on vacation—”

“In that case, I can’t let you leave until you’ve seen all the sights Konoha has to offer!”

Naruto barely hears Mitsuhiro dryly mutter under his breath, “Of course, you can’t.”

Matching the record time in which Kenta got his ramen to him, Hashirama finishes his meal before Mitsuhiro and takes the lead in a conversation about politics in the capital. With an empty ramen bowl and little interest in the discussion, Naruto reaches out to put some money on the counter and take her leave. However, Mitsuhiro stops her with a gentle grasp on her wrist and a light chiding, “How could I let a lady pay for her meal?”

“Nah, it’s okay—”

“I insist,” he implores. His fingers linger on her skin before drawing away to produce an envelope from his pocket. “I also want you to have this before you go.” 

Naruto stuffs her money back into her pocket to accept the envelope. Turning it over in her hands, she asks, “What is it?”

“That should help you with funding your project,” he replies. 

If Rui hadn’t drilled into her skull how unacceptable hugging the daimyō would be, Naruto would do just that. Unable to keep the smile off her face, she thanks him profusely, “Thank you so much, Mitsuhiro! You won’t regret it, ya know!”

He chuckles, “I doubt that I will. I look forward to the day you come to the capital for a visit.”

“You bet!”

~xXx~

Tobirama knew this was coming the moment Hashirama mentioned that he saw the daimyō and Naruto eating together at that ramen stand she’s so fond of last night, but the prior warning doesn’t make Naruto’s smirk any less irksome as she slaps a paper down onto his desk. He shuffles the missing children reports to the side before meeting her satisfied gaze and sighing, “What’s this?”

“Read it and weep: a letter guaranteeing us as much funds as we need to _completely reform the system._ Signed and stamped by the Fire daimyō, himself,” comes her smug answer.

Pinching the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger, he replies, “I see.”

“You might wanna break out your precious abacus set,” she goads.

Tobirama argues, “We’re not sending a request for funds until we’ve discussed your _reforms_ in depth—”

Naruto drops a thick booklet on his desk and taunts, “Since I know how much you love paperwork, here’s our proposal written out in triplicate. The KWA looks forward to workin’ with ya.”

Thankfully, she waddles out of his office after soundly rubbing her victory in his face. The only thing that somewhat soothes Tobirama’s oncoming headache is the memory of Madara’s fury when he heard how friendly the daimyō was being with his wife.

~xXx~

Once again, Naruto returns home to a prickly husband. Well, more so than usual. She bluntly asks, “What did I do _now?”_

Madara hisses, “I heard about your _date_ with _Mitsuhiro._ ”

“Date? We just ate together! Hashirama was there, too, ya know!”

“What an _inconvenience_ he must have been.”

She can already tell that there’s no reasoning with him right now. Arms akimbo, Naruto breathes through her nose before looking Madara in the eye. “So, you’re gonna make me come over there, huh?”

Some confusion peeks through his disgruntled expression as Naruto circles the living room table, but he doesn’t move from his spot as she approaches. Hiking her skirt up and settling atop his lap, she sighs, “Can’t believe you’re making me use my ultimate technique.”

An inkling of what’s about to happen prompts him to try reasoning with her, “Naruto—”

Clamping her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist to prevent escape, Naruto exclaims, “Can you feel how much I love you?! All of this love and it’s just for you, ya know!”

Her grip on him is as strong as always. “Stop—”

Pressing her rounded stomach into him, she praises, “You feel that bump between us?! You did that! Good job!”

Attempts to back out of her embrace prove futile. “Enough already—”

“You think I’m _ever_ gonna let you go? Guess again, punk!”

Finally, he snarls, “I get it!” 

With a satisfied huff, Naruto allows a thoroughly overwhelmed Madara to fall back onto the tatami. He cannot wait for the day that he finally gets familiar enough with these affectionate onslaughts that they no longer faze him. Naruto has enough tricks up her sleeve as it is. Just as his cheeks are returning to their natural hue, he feels his belt being tugged out of the way. He already knows the answer, but he asks anyway, “What are you doing?”

“Actions speak louder than words, right? ‘Sides, we were headin’ in that direction anyway,” she cajoles with a bright smile on her face as she yanks his pants down.

“You…”

“You don’t wanna?”

“...if we must,” he sighs with feigned exasperation.


	4. Sabotage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the midst of all of Konoha's progress, Naruto's due date draws near.

Naruto may not have an official seat on the council, but she spends enough time in the village council building arguing with Tobirama that she might as well pull up a chair. The proposal was begrudgingly approved by the council, so now the Konoha Women’s Association spokeswoman and the Head of Education duke it out over the finer details of the new system they’re trying to adopt.

Though the KWA isn’t particularly happy about it, Tobirama refuses to raise the minimum age for going on missions higher than twelve. At that very age, Naruto had been raring to go on dangerous missions, but she now has the wisdom to know that her team wasn’t ready for that mission in the Land of Waves. Granted, they were misled about the classification of the mission, but she stubbornly maintained that they could handle it. Her obstinance nearly got Sasuke killed and she might have died herself if not for Kurama’s intervention. 

Death is always an underlying risk on any mission, but Naruto would prefer her child stick to catching runaway cats until they’re actually ready for the big leagues.

They encounter further issues when it comes to the revised curriculum of the academy. In addition to the core classes Naruto was taught, the KWA agreed that the academy should offer medical ninjutsu courses since every team will be assigned a mednin. Tobirama sees the sense in that logic, but he refuses to budge on kunoichi-specific classes, “Flower arrangement is a necessary skill for a kunoichi to blend into the environment—”

Naruto snaps, “How often does a situation where that would be helpful actually happen? Never? ‘Cuz that’s how often for me.”

“There’s a reason _you_ don’t get sent on covert missions,” he retorts. In fact, she’s the only active kunoichi unsuited for them. If her brute strength didn’t compensate for a pitiful lack of stealth, they wouldn’t even be having this conversation.

“Fine! If arranging flowers is so useful, then the boys can learn it, too!”

“What? That’s ridiculous—”

“Didn’t ya just say blending in is important?”

“Yes, but a shinobi—”

“—must be prepared for anything and everything. What if there’s a mission contractor with a certain _preference?_ What then? You gonna turn away business just ‘cuz your ego couldn’t handle sortin’ flowers?”

His displeased scowl assures Naruto that she got her point across.

~xXx~

In between bites of her dinner, Naruto chats, “I think I’m startin’ to get why you still don’t like Tobirama even with Izuna alive and well.”

Madara responds with little enthusiasm, “Oh?”

“Yeah, he’s a real jerk, ya know.”

He merely hums in acknowledgment. 

Naruto mentions in the same nonchalant tone, “I’m thinking of hiking Mt. Myōboku tomorrow, you in?”

“Is that ri—what?!”

“Hah! So, ya weren’t payin’ attention!” At Madara’s frown, she asks, “What’s on your mind?”

He never thought that her grand plan would get this far, but now that her shinobi ranking system is actually in the planning stages, it’s his last chance to voice his opinion. He bluntly states, “I don’t agree with the changes you’re making.”

If KWA meetings have taught her anything, it’s to keep an open mind. Rather than round on him, she calmly asks, “What, specifically?”

“Raising the minimum age for accepting missions.”

Confused, she questions, “Didn’t ya start this village for that exact purpose?”

“Yes, but twelve is too old—”

“If we continue with the system you were raised on, there’s a fair chance we’ll outlive our kid, right? Even with this new one, there’s always a chance, but won’t you feel better knowing that we prepared them as much as possible?”

His mind assaults him with memories of Shou’s mutilated remains and Homura’s lifeless corpse. The thought of their child meeting a similarly gruesome end long before their time makes his stomach lurch. Madara pushes his meal aside and admits, “You may have a point...but there’s merit in practical experience.”

“Which they’ll get when they graduate,” Naruto promptly returns.

Unconvinced, Madara inquires, “What are they even learning for seven years?”

“Same stuff I did with a couple changes—”

“Kekkei genkai?”

A realization dawns upon Naruto. She reassures, “The specifics of the Mangekyō Sharingan aren’t gonna be taught in class, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

Madara’s frown deepens. Naruto has always had an uncomfortably thorough knowledge of the Sharingan...despite the fact that no one shared the information with her. She would have eventually picked up more information as their children develop their Sharingan, but he has to wonder where she got her extensive information in the first place. “How do _you_ know them?” 

She pauses to think. “Now that ya mention it, the inner workings of the Sharingan were pretty common knowledge where I came from. Dunno why, though.”

Madara has a feeling that a certain nosy Senju is to blame, but if Naruto’s claim that a clan member _gave the Sharingan away_ is true, the Uchiha adopted a heinously sloppy approach to keeping secrets after the other Madara’s defection. Those concerns aside, he supposes her ideas are worth attempting. Konoha itself is an experiment, after all. Besides, he can always supplement their children’s academics with training at home.

A thought occurs to him. “If your Konoha had this ranking system, what rank were you?”

Her eyes dart away from him as she answers, “Jōnin.”

“Naruto,” he prods as the beginnings of a smirk appear on his face. The wall must be awfully interesting with how intensely she stares at it.

“Chūnin.”

_“Naruto.”_

She groans, “Fine! I only made it to genin! Happy?!”

He chuckles, “Delighted.”

~xXx~

The conversation with Madara gets Naruto thinking. His cynicism and cagey nature aside, most clans in this fledgeling Konoha _are_ still pretty mistrustful of each other. The Konoha Women’s Association has improved inter-clan interactions somewhat, but it’s just the first of many steps toward creating a harmonious village. The question is: what’s the next step?

  
  


~xXx~

As usual, Tobirama immediately shoots her idea down. “Absolutely not.”

“You’re not the only member of the council, ya know,” Naruto reminds. Though she says that, the rest of the council doesn’t seem inclined to disagree with the hokage’s aide—especially Madara. He has that look on his face that promises he’s going to be annoying about this later, so she might as well go down fighting. 

Ignoring her, Tobirama further explains, “Not only is a festival a waste of resources, but it’s an unnecessary security risk.”

“Were you _born_ a wet blanket?” Hashirama desperately tries to hold in a laugh as she continues, “Anyway, it’s about buildin’ trust and becomin’ a community instead of a bunch of clans that just live near each other. ‘Sides, we can better protect the village if everyone trusts each other, right?”

“She has a point. Furthermore, the rise in missing children's cases has everyone on edge and the search might produce better results after a short reprieve.”

All heads snap in Shimura Kenji’s direction. Despite being the oldest member of the village council behind Hyūga Katashi, he usually just sides with the crowd. He and Naruto have never spoken, but she openly welcomes his unexpected support. Nodding in his direction, Naruto addresses Tobirama, “See? Both the Konoha Women’s Association and a member of the village council agree that it’s a good idea.”

Tobirama seethes while the hokage addresses the room, “Let’s open it to a vote, then. All those against?”

Much to their mutual disgust, Madara and Tobirama raise their hands simultaneously. Naruto doesn’t understand why Tobirama even gets to vote when he isn’t the head of the Senju clan, but she doesn’t care much when it’s clear that he’s lost. For the sake of protocol, Hashirama asks, “All those in favor?”

Some are quicker than others to raise their hand, but the other nine members of the village council approve of the festival all the same.

~xXx~

Naruto gets into as comfortable of a position as she can. Her aching ankles make it difficult, but she eventually finds a position to sit in. The storm she has been expecting blows into the living room soon after. “A festival?!”

“Welcome home, honey bunches,” she sarcastically greets.

“Do you even know the _meaning_ of ‘rest?!’”

She can tell that he’s been talking to Shari again. He treats the midwife’s advice as law and has gotten even worse about trying to regulate Naruto’s diet and sleep schedule. The only beneficial thing Shari has told Madara is that it’s perfectly safe to have sex. She even encouraged it. 

Naruto knows she would have worn him down eventually on her own, so she doesn’t think Shari’s advice is worth how many fights it has caused. She asserts, “You can get mad at me as much as ya want, but I’m not gonna just lie in bed until the baby comes in _three months._ Since I’m not _allowed_ to go on missions, I’m gonna keep busy in other ways, ya know.”

“Puzzles, needlework, reading; there are a plethora of activities you could be doing, but you insist upon putting yourself in stressful, dangerous situations.”

Confused, Naruto asks, “What’s dangerous or stressful about a festival?”

Madara snarls, “You’ll be wandering through an uncontrolled environment with non-clan members freely entering our district.”

“If it’ll make you stop freaking out, I promise not to leave your side throughout the whole thing,” she sighs.

“I don’t want it to happen _at all._ ”

“Well, the village council already agreed to it and I already told the KWA, so you’re just gonna have to deal with it,” Naruto huffs.

He gestures to her stomach, “Does this really need to happen _now?_ Do _you_ really need to be on the planning committee?”

“Yeah, it does and yeah, I do. I can’t back out now that I’ve gotten us this far.”

_“Us?”_

“Yeah, I’m doing this for Konoha as a whole, but also for our clan, ya know.” She reminds, “If we don’t start unifying now, we’ll be destroyed by one of our own in less than a century.”

“In your timeline, perhaps, but I’m still _here_. There’s no need to integrate with other clans,” Madara argues.

Naruto snorts, “Says the guy that united the Uzumaki and Uchiha. Anyway, all that means is one of our great-grandkids could get saddled with carrying out the massacre instead of Itachi. Then what? Assumin’ you’re not a pile of dust by then, could you kill them?”

He falters, “That’s...”

She softens her tone, but firmly asserts, “Holding everyone at arm’s length isn’t gonna cut it if we wanna avoid that. I don’t expect ya to be buddy-buddy with everyone. I just want ya to tolerate them in our neighborhood for a night. That’s all.”

A long silence passes before he finally huffs, “Fine.”

Utterly shattering the tense atmosphere, Naruto claps her hands together and smiles. “Great! As a reward, I’ll show ya this cool trick I learned with a lantern—”

“Lantern?”

“Yeah, if we shine it on my belly, the baby—”

“What?! Absolutely not! We could damage the baby’s eyes!”

Naruto groans. Oh, how nice it would be to blame Shari for Madara being a stick in the mud.

~xXx~

Thirty-eight. Thirty-nine. Forty. 

Forty birds have passed through Naruto’s field of vision as she slouches on a bench and stares up at the sky outside the hospital. Inside, Madara is probably giving the hospital staff hell as he does one of his routine sweeps of the premises. He only started harassing the poor med nin in earnest last month, but he’s grown exceptionally anxious with the baby’s due date a little over a month away. Naruto usually follows him to make sure he isn’t too mean, but she just doesn’t have the energy anymore. He sent her outside to rest the second he heard a mildly winded breath and she went without much of a fuss. 

Just as she’s wondering how much longer Madara is going to drag this out, a voice sounds from unexpectedly close to her bench, “Are you feeling okay, dear?”

Rolling her neck to look at the woman, Naruto answers, “Yeah...”

“Oh, excuse my rudeness. I’m Shari,” the old woman introduces with a bow. “Madara-sama told me I might find you out here.”

Naruto sighs, “Is he done yet?”

Shari laughs, “I imagine he’ll be done soon. He was on the last wing of the hospital when I last saw him. In the meantime, may I check on the baby?”

Well used to being poked and prodded by now, Naruto accepts, “Go for it.”

While pressing on Naruto’s round tummy at odd intervals, Shari asks, “Any questions or concerns?”

“My biggest concern is the idiot rampaging through the hospital right now.”

Genuine surprise colors her tone, “Really? That’s quite the surprise. I hear you’re a part of the festival planning committee and it’s only two weeks away!”

“Yeah, but he’s a lot harder to manage.”

“Oh, I’m sure he’ll calm down once the baby is born,” Shari laughs.

“I hope you’re right, ‘cuz I’m gettin’ real tired of bein’ treated like glass, ya know.”

“He’s quite protective, isn’t he?” 

“That’s an understatement.”

Still a bit mirthful, but quite serious, Shari asks, “Though, I have to ask: have you been eating a balanced diet?”

“Sure have,” Naruto nonchalantly answers. Madara may have cracked down on what she consumes at breakfast and dinner, but she sneaks a lunch at Ichiraku’s whenever she has the chance. 

“No snacks?”

Something about the maternal edge to the scolding prompts Naruto to answer with the partial truth, “Maybe a couple snacks here and there.”

One amused huff later, Shari pulls away and announces, “There we are.”

Naruto sits up. “That’s it?”

She smiles. “Oh, yes. Madara-sama already gave me a full report of how you’re doing. I just wanted to see for myself.”

“Of course he did,” Naruto deadpans, much to Shari’s amusement.

~xXx~

Despite Madara’s vocal opposition to Naruto's participation in the planning of the Founding Festival—as it ends up being named—he got quite involved in their clan’s contribution. Unfortunately, no one was open to Naruto’s fireworks idea, but they did like the sound of making parade floats; especially the Uchiha. Naruto didn’t catch on to the reason for their enthusiasm until Madara started doing recon on the Senju’s float, but she supposes that it’s fine if they’re channeling their rivalry into something less bloody. Besides, it’s incredibly amusing to see them scramble to throw a tarp over their float whenever Hashirama stops by to see Madara.

Even better, she gets a little breathing room now that Madara has something other than her to focus on. Naruto has always liked being the center of positive attention, but his hovering was driving her nuts. Before he got involved with float construction, she was ready to just give birth early and let him fuss over the baby, so she could go more than five minutes without a comment from him about not resting enough or eating the “wrong” food. 

Madara still worries excessively, but at least it’s back to normal levels just in time for the festivities.

~xXx~

Just as promised, Naruto allows Madara to shadow her on her circuit of the stalls. Konoha isn’t quite as large as the one in her memories yet, but the Founding Festival is nothing to scoff at. A plethora of food and game stalls manned by shinobi and civilians alike line the main street and dip into each clan’s respective district. It takes a few hours for Naruto to do her rounds, but she feels an overwhelming amount of accomplishment at the light and lively atmosphere she helped create. 

The ambiance even affects Madara. He has loosened up and begun to enjoy himself by the time they meet up with Izuna, Rui, and Misaki. He only reviews Izuna’s responsibilities as Naruto’s “guard” three times before letting himself be pushed in the direction of the procession. Once Madara disappears into the crowd, Izuna and Naruto share a laugh about how big of a worrywart he is as they try to find a good spot to watch the parade.

Madara was initially reluctant to join their clansmen in carrying the float out of concern for Naruto, but she and Izuna managed to convince him to join all the other clan leaders in carrying their clan’s respective floats. In exchange, Izuna agreed not to let Naruto out of his sight. True to his word, Izuna sticks close by, but so does everyone else. She snorts when they pick a spot close to the street and her escort flanks her sides and back, but she soon forgets her exasperation as the first float passes by.

Never before has Naruto lamented a lack of cameras in this era more than this very moment. The Senju clan rushes on by while carrying a monstrous float that was clearly made with Hashirama’s _Mokuton._ So, Madara wasn’t exaggerating how impressive the float was. Well, he used words like “gaudy” and “overkill,” but Naruto thinks it looks great. The float carriers have just as much of an impact as their burden due to sporting no clothing other than their fundoshi. Laughing all the while, Hashirama leads the group with his annoyed brother close behind. Naruto can’t hear him over the music and the crowd, but she would bet her savings that Tobirama is yelling at Hashirama to hold the float properly or something.

The crowd eagerly turns to see the next float and they’re not disappointed. Front and center, Madara leads a group of their clansmen as they carry the float they worked so hard on. It’s not as huge as the Senju’s, but the minimalist design suits the Uchiha quite well. Naruto doesn’t know whether they planned to wear just their fundoshi from the start as well, or Madara overheard that’s what the Senju were doing and refused to be shown up, but she’s not the only one appreciating the view. However, Naruto is the only one that wolf whistles. On either side of her, Rui gasps and Misaki smothers a laugh into her sleeve. Behind her, Izuna guffaws. Madara must hear her over the clamor because his cheeks redden just the slightest bit.

The other floats pass by in quick succession and they all follow the two founding clan’s examples with fundoshi uniforms, but each float is unique and amazing. The spectacular wood carvings of deer on the Nara float and dogs on the Inuzuka’s catch a lot of eyes, but the ramen carving on Ichiraku’s float looks so real that Naruto can taste it. She is very proud of the Uchiha float, but she’s not sure she could vote against her favorite restaurant if there was a poll for best float. A foreboding feeling suggests that someone will propose that for the next Founding Festival—

“Izuna-sama?”

Turning to look at the man in question, Naruto notices Rui’s cause for concern. His eyes are glazed over and he’s swaying on his feet. Rui reaches out to him, but he doubles over and empties the contents of his stomach. Luckily, the crowd already dispersed once the last float passed by, so Naruto and Rui easily pull him aside while Misaki rushes to the clan medic. Izuna still hasn’t stopped vomiting by the time Madara regroups with them and he has a tough time standing despite being supported by his brother.

~xXx~

Everything had been going so well. 

The doctor wasn’t entirely sure what poison was used or how it was administered, but he tried a few remedies and Izuna’s condition thankfully started to improve before dawn the following day. Though he is no longer vomiting, Izuna remains in critical condition as his body tries to filter out the potent toxin. Confined to a bed and fading in and out of consciousness, Izuna truly seems to be knocking on death’s door—much to Madara’s discontent.

Between the stress of his brother’s projected lengthy recovery and Naruto's upcoming due date this month, Madara went over the deep end and sequestered the three of them in the secret bunker underneath Naka Shrine. When he declared that Naruto would be having the baby in the bunker, she tried to argue but was immediately shot down. She wanted to press the issue further, but Madara was in no state for civil negotiation. 

He clearly needs time to build his trust in Konoha back up and Naruto is sure the hospital staff will be all the happier not to deal with him, anyway. Besides, he might have a point with all of the children going missing lately. That said, Naruto sincerely hopes Shari is right and Madara will calm down once the baby is born, because she has no desire to live the rest of her life underground. Hell, she barely made it through the first week. 

At the start of the second week, Naruto can’t taste much other than the herbal tea Shari recommended to Madara. She has been gulping it down to appease him, but all it seems to do is make her pee even more.

She sighs at the sound of Madara snapping at Rui in the next room over for the millionth time. Apparently, he thinks Izuna’s wife should be grateful that he even let her into his refuge. Naruto calls out to Madara, “You’re makin’ it really hard to sleep, ya know!”

Naruto hears some rustling before the door dividing the two rooms slides open. Madara looks absolutely exhausted as he apologizes, “I’m sorry—”

She hasn’t seen him relax since the night of the festival and it shows in the deep bags under his eyes. “When was the last time you slept?”

“I’m fine,” he lies.

Freeing an arm out from under the thick blanket on top of her, Naruto beckons, “C’mere.”

“Izuna—”

“—will be fine. The doctor said so, didn’t he?”

“But—”

“Rui-chan can handle giving him water and worrying about him, so leave her alone and come take a nap with me,” she orders while lifting up the blanket to entice him. Madara starts to approach her futon, but he whips back around at the sound of a pained cough from behind him. 

Naruto releases an exasperated exhale and drops the blanket as Madara hisses at Rui, “Are you _trying_ to kill him?”

~xXx~

Though Naruto is more fatigued than she has ever been, the feeling of restlessness is overpowering by the beginning of the third week underground. Madara would prefer she just lay in bed until she carries the baby to term, and she has been sleeping quite a bit, but she needs to go outside. She needs fresh air. She needs to stretch her legs and walk somewhere farther than the bathroom.

An opportunity to sneak out presents itself when Madara sends Rui out to get supplies and he happens to doze off against a wall soon after. With a bit of remorse, Naruto quietly climbs the stairs to the surface, steals past the guards stationed around the shrine itself, exits the Uchiha district, and settles into a leisurely stroll through the side streets of Konoha.

With a deep inhale of fresh air and an equally deep exhale, Naruto simply meanders through the calm of Konoha with no destination in mind. Her claustrophobia dissipates under the splendor of the outdoors. The sun on her face and the gentle breeze blowing through her loose hair revitalize her. Ever the extrovert, she eagerly exchanges brief greetings with villagers other than her immediate family. It feels like eons since she last experienced even these simple pleasures. 

A kick from inside her womb reminds her that she’ll have another person to share them with soon enough. How nice it’ll be to walk outside with them. To train with them. To—

An acute pain in her abdomen cuts her musings short. At first, Naruto thinks it’s a cramp, but then her underwear dampens as fluid trickles down her thighs and to her feet. She tries to turn back to the bunker, but a particularly strong contraction brings her to her knees. Just as she’s trying to use a nearby wall to support herself, a voice calls out to her, “Oh dear, do you need some help?”

Naruto looks up to see Shari. Voice strained, she informs her, “My water jus’ broke.”

“I thought that might be the case. Come now, we don’t have much time,” she urges while pulling Naruto up and onto her feet with surprising strength.

“It’s not time yet, though—”

“It is.”

Naruto doesn’t get a chance to argue as she senses rather than sees several other presences appear and feels a pinch to the back of her neck before everything goes black.

~xXx~

Fading back into consciousness, Naruto catches bits and pieces of a conversation as shadowy figures stand above her. 

“—going to kill her—”

“—can’t we just cut it out—”

“—ourse not! We could damage—”

“—aking up! Sedate—”

Naruto drifts back to sleep as the voices fade to murmurs in the distance.

~xXx~

A shrill cry drags Naruto back to the surface. She languidly opens her eyes to see a loud, red blur being carried away from her. For some reason, she feels a vague sense of urgency as the wriggling form gets farther and farther away.

Suddenly, a deep voice shouts inside her head and startles her. _NARUTO! WAKE UP ALREADY!_

The echo of the voice distracts her as she slurs, “Wha—”

_THEY JUST TOOK YOUR BABY!_

“...bab?”

_YOU KNOW, THE SPAWN OF UCHIHA MADARA THAT YOU’VE BEEN CARRYING FOR ALMOST A YEAR!?_

“Ma..da..?”

Her mumbles catch the attention of one of the shadowy figures. They walk over to her and grab her arm. Naruto feels something sharp penetrate the skin of her arm and she tries to pull away, but the grasp on her arm holds strong. The shape shushes, “Shhhh. You’ve done well and it’s time for you to rest.”

Rest sounds nice…

_NO!_

Naruto begins to relax, but the brief comfort of sleep is soon ripped away as an unbearable burning sensation builds in her arm. The pain spreads across her body as a horrible noise fills the air. Belatedly, she realizes that the noise is her own screaming.

Her body convulses as she tries to fight the agony tearing through her veins. She feels pressure on all of her limbs as the shadows surround her. A familiar bubbling sensation beneath her skin further adds to the horror of whatever is happening. Her misery only begins to abate as an immaterial substance leaks from her pores and begins to envelop her body. 

The voice in her head sighs. _I’ll handle it._


	5. One Tough Mother

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> If you happen to make the ill-advised decision to steal a jinchūriki’s baby, you’d best settle your affairs beforehand. 
> 
> Pro tip: Just don’t.

The four attendants back away as seemingly liquid orange chakra envelops the new mother. To their horror, her skin begins to dissolve all over her body. Their eyes can't process what lay underneath. Instead of flesh and bone, a layer of agitated crimson gradually peeks out before encompassing the young woman entirely. Shrieks of pain transition to growls and snarls.

Unsure of what this new development means, but certain that it wouldn't benefit them to hesitate, one attempts to inject her with another lethal dose of the drug since the first was apparently ineffective. The viscous cloak snaps the needle of the syringe as if it has a mind of its own before languidly dragging Uchiha Naruto's body into a standing position atop the makeshift hospital bed. The humans can't look away as the sentient shroud forms several extra appendages.

The attendant holding the broken syringe idly thinks that the being resembles a fox before a swift impact from one of three tails launches him backward into a wall. The others spring away to avoid meeting the same fate as the tail comes back around for another vicious sweep. Shifting into attack mode, the shinobi attempt to destroy the monster before it can destroy them.

~xXx~

Hashirama and Tobirama are enjoying a rare break at a tea house when they hear a distant boom. Tea sloshes in their cups and a plate of dango nearly vibrates off the bench they're sitting on as the ground shakes. Sensing an overtly hostile chakra signature approaching Konoha at an alarming speed, they jump to their feet and rush to the village gates.

When they arrive, they spot a mysterious creature in the distance. The brothers aren't sure what to make of the scarlet mass of chakra sporting an exoskeleton bounding toward them on all-fours, but they know they can't let it into the village. It evades Tobirama's blasts of water without slowing, but it dashes straight into Hashirama's trap. Tree branches snake around the creature's limbs, but one of its tails severs the restraints with a single swipe. Before they can attempt to stop it once more, two giant hands shoot up from the ground in front of them.

The extensions of the beast's tails toss them in opposite directions like rag dolls shortly before it successfully gains entry to the village. However, the commotion drew quite a bit of attention, so numerous shinobi join the fray and attempt to halt the monster's advance. Despite the fierce attacks aimed at it, the beast merely dodges or non-lethally incapacitates its attackers as it makes a beeline for the shinobi residential districts.

~xXx~

A minor earthquake jostles Madara awake. He rubs at his eyes tiredly before casting a glance at Izuna. His brother continues to sleep in the futon in the center of the room. Madara checks his fever before swapping out the nearly dry cloth on his forehead for a fresh cold one.

The silence is cause for concern.

Shuffling towards the door separating Izuna's room from Naruto's, he nudges it open to check on her. Neither her snores nor her attempt at whispering greets his ears. Shoving the door wide open, all he sees in the room is a hastily vacated futon. His anxiety spikes, but he reasons that Naruto could be in the bathroom. Unfortunately, the ajar bathroom door immediately negates that possibility.

He must be exhausted if a pregnant, stealth-is-for-cowards-Naruto was able to sneak past him and out of the bunker. Angry as he is, he's a touch proud of her. She timed her escape well. He'll be having words with the guards outside later, though.

Madara heaves a sigh as he tries to come up with a plan. It won't take long to hunt her down, but he can't just leave Izuna by himself. He supposes he has no choice but to trust Rui to keep Izuna comfortable while he's out. The thought is not a pleasant one and Madara will be sure to let Naruto know how little he appreciates being forced into this position once he drags her back. Tapping his foot impatiently, he waits in the hallway leading to the stairs to the surface. What seems like eons later, Rui races down the stairs to the bunker. She has the bag of supplies in a death grip as she frantically whispers, "The village is under attack!"

Naruto always has the _best_ timing, doesn't she?

~xXx~

"Quite the pair of lungs on you. Though, I suppose I should have expected that with your parentage. Not to worry, I'll be sure to teach you how to be quiet," Shimura Kenji informs the newborn baby shrieking her lungs out at him. Apparently, she hasn't stopped crying since she was separated from her mother and nearly drew too much attention to the Root operative tasked with bringing her to the Shimura district. She should have been brought down to the base underneath the main house immediately, but Kenji couldn't help his anticipation at finally meeting what was sure to be one of his most promising junior operatives in the future.

It's a shame that Uchiha Madara sired a daughter and he's unlikely to sire another child with as much potential as this one with the mother dead, but Kenji supposes that this child will serve his purposes well enough. If nothing else, her mother made a name for herself alongside the two titans of Konohagakure, so it's possible that this baby could be capable of the same. Besides, it would be a waste to dispose of her after all the effort expended obtaining her.

A loud crash followed by panicked yelling brings Kenji out of his musings, but he shrugs it off and ambles toward the entrance to the underground base. If they're under attack, he'd best store his newest acquisition before investigating. He takes his time descending the stairs until the commotion draws closer. Hastening his pace, he reaches the door leading to a corridor of holding cells and locks it behind him. The seals placed around the area and should mask the base from detection, but one can never be too careful.

Some of the children occupying the cells turn to look at him with hateful eyes, but most just huddle closer into the corners. Referring to them as 'missing in action' shinobi seems too generous, but then, he purposely procured lesser shinobi's children to avoid garnering too much attention. The temptation to obtain a Hyūga or Uchiha had been tough to resist, but as much as he wanted the Byakugan or Sharingan at his disposal, the clans guarded their dōjutsu just as covetously—until now.

Kenji strides past them and into the innermost room: a drab nursery specifically constructed for the youngest Root initiate yet. Just as he's about to place the disgruntled, wriggling bundle into the crib, a series of thunderous steps approach the locked door and stop. He warily peeks out of the nursery and down the hall to look at the door. A particularly shrill cry from the baby clutched in his arms precedes violent scratching and hissing from the other side of the door. When that fails to remove the impediment, the intruder switches to ramming against the door. It begins to splinter under the pressure and a single creak is all the warning Kenji is given before the sturdy wood flies off its hinges and sails into the wall beside him.

He catches a glimpse of the trespasser before ducking back into the nursery. It looks like some kind of animal, but it stands on two legs. Terrified screams from the holding cells make it difficult to think of an exit strategy, but an idea eventually comes to him. It took quite a bit of time and patience to fill the cells in the hallway, but the baby in his arms is easily worth all of them combined. Kenji cycles through one handed seals before spewing out enough water to flood the base. Slipping out a hidden exit and sealing it behind him, he reasons that if the beast doesn't drown, it will at least be slowed down enough for him to think of a better plan. Once he gets to the surface, he sets off the emergency explosive tags and collapses the base on top of it for good measure.

Giving himself a moment to breathe, Kenji notices why the beast was able to get so far. His district is in shambles. The majority of the surrounding wall has been reduced to rubble, several fires blaze atop houses, and small craters litter the ground. Despite the destruction, he neither sees or hears another person—living or dead.

Rumbling beneath his feet draws his attention. He jumps out of the way just as the stone erupts below him and the beast rockets itself to the surface. It shoots high up into the air before landing atop the main house with such force that the roof collapses. When it hops to the ground, Kenji notices the children enveloped in some kind of liquid cloak and clinging to whatever part of the beast they can grasp. The beast lowers them to the ground and they make their escape out the remnants of the district gate. Kenji takes a step toward their escape route, but the beast fans its six tails out as if to say _we're not done_.

So, it _is_ hunting him specifically. Despite the demon's humanoid shape, it lowers onto its hands and feet to charge toward him. Based on the compassion the beast showed to his former tools, he takes a gamble to turn the situation to his advantage. Kenji whips out a kunai and holds it to the baby's neck. The beast immediately skids to a stop and growls. He doesn't know if it understands human language, but he threatens it anyway, "Not another step or I'll—"

~xXx~

Madara expects to ascend the stairs to enemies ravaging the entire village, but the Uchiha district remains unscathed and calm. With neither ally nor enemy to be found in the street, Madara looks to the sky. Smoke rising up in the distance finally signals where the action is happening and the most probable location of his wife.

Heaving a sigh, he jumps to the nearest rooftop in that direction. The closer he gets to his destination, the more he notices that there has been some damage done to the village, but it seems to follow a trail; almost like the aftermath of an animal's dogged pursuit.

The path of destruction leads Madara to the remnants of the Shimura clan's district just in time to witness an incomprehensible sight: a being composed of hostile red chakra erupting from the ground and shooting up into the sky. He only notices the children clinging to it when the beast lands on a roof before hopping down to ground level to let them down.

The last child runs out into the street just as another wave of shinobi arrive to wrangle the creature facing off against Shimura Kenji. Much to their confusion, the children begin wailing for their parents. Madara happens to witness a reunion as one of the shinobi recognizes his children among the escapees before a commotion draws his attention back to the matter at hand. The beast and Kenji seem to be having a stare-down of sorts as the head of the Shimura clan holds a kunai to a screeching baby's neck. Uncertain of the situation, but growing impatient as it becomes increasingly clear that Naruto isn't in the vicinity, Madara tosses a smoke bomb between the two to speed the affair along.

~xXx~

A smoke bomb attached to a kunai thunks into the ground before Kenji's feet and detonates. Taking him by surprise, six hands shoot out of the smoke cloud toward him. Five simultaneous punches launch him backward and through the wall of a house. The sixth catches the baby and gently draws it into the flow of chakra. As if riding a mellow wave, the baby floats down the tail and toward the creature's waiting breast. Cradled in the demon's arms, the baby's wails gradually calm.

Just as Kenji emerges from a pile of debris, an enormous hand wraps around his body and yanks him back outside. Feeling a sense of danger that only a fragile toy in the grasp of a tantruming child could sympathize with, Kenji grimaces down at the demon holding him aloft. A sliver of the chakra cloak fizzles out to show him blonde hair and a blue eye before sewing itself back together. He sneers at the deliberate revelation, "Do your worst, Uchiha wench."

His bones creak as the grip around his body tightens to a painful degree. His vision blurs as the hand swiftly smashes him against the ground. He hangs limply as the hand lifts him before bashing him against the earth again. A third time. A fourth. A fifth. After the sixth impact, everything goes black.

~xXx~

Madara frowns as he overhears Kenji address the beast as an "Uchiha wench." He catches a few of the shinobi also watching the scene glance at him, but they don't advance past him. Naturally, he conceals it better than the rest of them, but they all blanch as the beast savagely bashes Kenji against the ground several times. Once satisfied, it carelessly drops him in a broken heap. Madara feels eyes on him once again, but he keeps his eyes on the beast to gauge its next move. Blindly provoking it has been proven to be inadvisable, but they will defend themselves if it does turn on them.

To everyone's surprise, the monster falls to its knees as steam emanates from its body. In a single plume, the angry, red chakra dissipates entirely to reveal a conventional human shape. Long, blonde hair sways as they collapse. Madara's breath catches in his throat before he sprints toward the figure. A few voices call out behind him in concern, but he disregards them entirely. Finally, he reaches an exhausted Naruto lying in the dirt. She deliriously greets him, "He~y, Daddy found us…"

Distracted by the grievously blood-stained hospital gown she's wearing, Madara doesn't immediately register the words. Unsure of whether to move her or call a medic, he squats beside her and whisper-shouts, "Naruto?! What happened?!"

"Do~n't wo~rry, we ha~ndled it," she drawls while reaching an arm out to him. He takes her hand without hesitation and she weakly tugs him closer. Pushing the bundle previously settled atop her chest into his, she tiredly sing-songs, "Happy Birthday...oh...we didn't come up with a name..."

Finally, her words sink in and his eyes bug out. The gurgling baby's indigo eyes squint back at him. He gently lifts the child— _their_ child into his arms. He whisper-shouts again, "You had the baby?!"

Naruto laughs, "I only meant to go for a walk, ya know."

Setting that statement aside for discussion at a later date, Madara focuses on the precious life in his grasp. It has been a long time since he held his infant brothers, but he can tell that holding his own child is completely different. Overwhelmed, overjoyed, terrified, relieved, proud, and an immeasurable amount of love; all of these feelings hit him at once. Momentarily forgetting where they are, his voice cracks as he asks, "Is it a boy or a girl?"

"Dunno...check while I take a nap," Naruto yawns. Her eyelids droop as she tries to get comfortable in the dirt.

The mere idea that she would sleep in the middle of a battlefield brings Madara back to reality. He hisses, "You're not sleeping _here._ "

Quickly lifting the gown to check her abdomen, he notices a concerning amount of dry blood coating her stomach and thighs, but no injuries. Naruto's disorientation aside, she seems well enough to make the journey to the Uchiha district. Gingerly placing the baby back in her arms and gathering the both of them into his, he refrains from jostling them too much on their swift exit.

Madara doubts Naruto will stay in the bunker for long once she wakes up, and a crying baby will undoubtedly interrupt Izuna's rest, but he returns to have his family in a fortified shelter; even if only for a little bit. A gaping Rui meets him at the bottom of the stairs. After several failed attempts to comment on the state Naruto is in, Madara loses patience and orders Rui to retrieve her sister. Rui immediately races up the stairs and out of sight.

Nudging the door open with a foot, he lays Naruto down onto her vacated futon and takes the baby into his arms. His wife and child doze off soon after. He peeks into Izuna's room to check that he's still breathing. Reassured by the rhythmic rise and fall of his brother's chest, Madara lays back against a wall. Finally alone with his thoughts, he confronts the situation at hand.

His gaze swivels toward Naruto. He never really understood what a "jinchūriki" was. On some level, he thought she was kidding whenever she spoke of an unknown entity called Kurama. Bijū were essentially myths as far as he was concerned...until today. Now, Madara knows that Kurama is very real. Naruto has always attributed her healing factor to him, so Madara can only assume that he healed the incision where Shimura must have cut their child out of her and gave her the strength to hunt the abductor down.

Rustling in his arms draws his attention downward. The baby restlessly shifts before settling back into a light sleep. The sudden urge to nuzzle the infant overtakes him and he doesn't fight it. Breathtakingly soft, warm skin brushes his cheek.

If not for Kurama, Madara would never have known this sensation. It's odd feeling indebted and grateful to a demon fox, but even more powerful is the discontent that he left Naruto to handle everything. A lack of awareness feels like an excuse after Shimura held a knife to their child's neck and could have used the smoke bomb Madara threw to escape. It would have been his fault if their baby had been lost forever.

Unacceptable. He quietly vows to the bundle in his arms, "I would bring down the moon for you."

Only silence answers him as his family sleeps on, but that's fine. Madara knows the silence won't last long once Konoha comes down on them.

He tenses as two sets of footsteps descend the stairs and approach the room. To Madara's relief, Rui and Misaki's hesitant faces greet him as they softly slide the door open. Stunned at the sight of a haggard main family, clear concern drips from Misaki's questions, "Madara-sama? You called for me?"

Pathetic as they may look, at least they gained a member instead of losing two. Nodding, he curtly orders, "Rui, watch over Izuna. Misaki, fetch a clean futon for Naruto and help her get cleaned up."

"Right away," the sisters resolutely chorus. Rui strides past him to attend to Izuna and Misaki turns to ascend the stairs back to the surface. The return to some semblance of normalcy calms Madara enough to fall into a light sleep against the wall. By the time he awakens again, Naruto is feeling well enough to cause a ruckus.

"I'm tellin' ya, I'm fine," Naruto stubbornly asserts while stumbling her way back into the room. Beside her, Misaki frets and keeps her arms outstretched should Naruto fall. "I already had the baby, so—"

"Keep it down," Rui hisses from the room behind him.

"It's fine. I've been awake for a while," a weak voice chides with a chuckle.

Suddenly wide awake, Madara rounds the corner as quickly as he can without jostling the baby. "Izuna!"

"Sorry for causing you so much trouble, Nii-san," rasps Izuna while rising to a sitting position.

"You have _nothing_ to apologize for," Madara assures as he takes a seat next to the futon. Across from him, Rui pours a cup of water for Izuna as he continues, "I suspect Naruto already took care of the one responsible."

At the sound of her name, Naruto shuffles in from the adjacent room with Misaki following close behind. Plopping down on the tatami beside Madara, Naruto asks, "I did?"

"Well, it would make sense. With me distracted by Izuna's condition, it would leave you vulnerable to attack—"

"You callin' me weak?!"

"Of course not. Only a fool would think that of you." In response to her pleased huff, he reminds, "Your recklessness, however, is another matter entirely. We will be talking about that _walk_ of yours later."

She blanches. "It all worked out, didn't it?"

Madara hisses, "Both you and the baby could have _died_ —"

Izuna cuts into the budding argument, "'The baby?' You haven't named him?"

Jumping on the change in topic, Naruto replies, "Nah. I dunno if it even is a 'him.' We should check! Right now!"

Despite his grumbles, Madara accedes to Naruto's urging and begins to unwrap the baby's blanket. If nothing else, he'll get irrefutable evidence that he was right about their...son...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I see you reaching for that pitch-fork, but consider this:
> 
> 1\. Hashirama and Tobirama are still pretty young here. They haven't reached their peak yet.
> 
> 2\. Kurama has fought Hashirama before (as the "first" Madara's summon in the canon/original timeline).
> 
> 3\. There were dirty baby-nappers in need of a beat-down, so he wrapped the fight up pretty quickly.


	6. Aftermath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The family is finally together, but Konoha has a bone to pick with the new parents.

"I still think 'Boruto' is a good name, ya know," Naruto mentions as she and Madara climb the stairs to the council building. They pointedly ignore the stares and whispers of the villagers they pass by.

" _You_ would," he returns before whipping his head in the direction of a particularly loud whisper of "monster." The perpetrator swiftly looks away and hurries on his way.

Trying to keep Madara distracted with harmless conversation, Naruto asks, "What's _that_ supposed to mean?"

"Nothing. I just think it would be cruel to saddle our daughter with that travesty of a name," he huffs.

"I feel like you shouldn't even get a say in her name with how disappointed you were that she's a girl," she retorts as they enter the building. They take their time walking to the room assigned for the hearing.

"I was not disappointed. I was just...surprised."

"Uh-huh, right. So, I just _imagined_ that disappointed wilt of yours?"

"You _do_ have quite the active imagination," Madara remarks as they arrive at their destination. Just as Naruto is about to growl a retort back at him, a purposeful cough draws her attention.

She turns to face the source of the noise and finds Shimura Kirie. Stepping in front of Madara to act as a buffer and possible obstacle between him and her fellow KWA member, Naruto greets, "Hey, Kirie! What's up?"

She nods to them and greets, "Hello, Naruto-san, Madara-sama. I apologize for interrupting, but I have something I would like to say to you."

Much to Madara's irritation, Naruto offers, "If it's about your house, I'll pay for the damages—"

Kirie surprises them both by lowering into a deep bow and apologizing, "I sincerely apologize for all that my husband put your family through. Please know that his heinous actions do not reflect the Shimura clan's interests in the slightest and we hope that you can forgive us."

Before Madara can interject with an incendiary remark, Naruto asserts, "You don't have to apologize for that asshole!"

Raising her head to meet Naruto's eyes, Kirie solemnly replies, "Yes, I do. An apology can't even begin to make up for the trauma he put your family through, but I want you to know that he was acting in his own self-interest. Please, rest assured that the Shimura clan will fully cooperate with the investigation of his 'Root' organization and we hold nothing against you."

Flabbergasted, Naruto asks, "But...but what about your house?"

Kirie chuckles, "I'm glad to be rid of it. I had no knowledge of what lay beneath, but I can't imagine raising my son in that house now."

There is no love lost between Naruto and the Danzo of her timeline, but maybe he'll turn out differently without Kenji to screw him up. Kirie certainly seems more relaxed than usual; as if a tremendous weight has been lifted off of her shoulders. Confident that his new home life will change him for the better, Naruto asks, "How is Danzo?"

"He is doing quite well, though a bit confused about the sudden remodeling. Thank you for asking. How is…?"

"She's fine. We were just arguin' about what her name is gonna be, actually."

"I see. Well, I'm glad to hear that your daughter is doing well," replies Kirie with a reserved smile on her face. Her gaze sharpens as she continues, "I won't keep you any longer, but please remember that you have my—as well as _many_ other's—support in the hearing."

Naruto blinks before a wide grin stretches across her face. "Got it."

Kirie nods before entering the room before them. One deep inhale through the nose and ragged exhale out her mouth later, Naruto throws open the door. Two chairs wait for her and Madara opposite a long table seating the entire village council sans the Uchiha clan head. Kirie takes her late husband's spot at the table as Naruto and Madara pass through the packed gallery. They keep their heads held high as shinobi and civilians alike scrutinize them.

In the few days it took to set a date for a hearing, rumors about the incident spread like wildfire. The most popular theory was that she and Madara conspired to kill a council member in cold blood. It only added to suspicion when it was announced that this hearing determines their future in the village—if there will be one.

Once they settle into their seats, Hashirama breaks the ice, "So, I guess this explains why you were so against capturing the bijū."

Naruto candidly answers, "Kinda, yeah. It's also a pretty shitty thing to do to them, ya know."

As always, Tobirama chimes in, " _To them?_ If your story is to be believed, then the bijū sealed within you— "

"Kurama," she corrects.

"—took control of your body and went on a rampage through the village while you were incapacitated," he finishes as though she never said anything.

"He was just trying to help after that asswipe took my baby," Naruto argues.

"His _help_ caused massive damage and unrest," Tobirama tartly replies.

Madara steps in, "You're acting as if she leveled the village and slaughtered everyone when all she did was kick up a bit of dust and punish the scum responsible for kidnapping children over the past year—ours included. Liberating the children in the process, might I add. You should be _grateful_ that she did your work for you."

Tobirama seethes. "Main street—"

"—was covered in scorch marks and other cosmetic damage. Several witnesses can confirm that Naruto never used contemporary ninjutsu during the incident nor did she instigate any confrontations with anyone other than Shimura Kenji."

"The Shimura district—"

"—completely absolved her of any culpability," Madara curtly finishes. Kirie firmly nods when several heads turn to her for confirmation.

"She left eighty-two casualties in her wake," Tobirama gruffly reminds.

Madara leans his head back. "Are any of them dead?"

A begrudging silence answers him.

"Can you conclusively say that members of Root weren't among the injured?"

Tobirama retorts, "That's pure conjecture."

Madara argues, "Is it? I heard that a group of shinobi were brought into the clinic from deep in the mountains. Mountains that wouldn't be too far from the village gates, if I'm not mistaken. Who's to say how many more are among the casualties?"

Aggravated, Tobirama turns to Naruto. "The fact remains that you neglected to notify the council of your...condition."

"I didn't tell ya 'cuz it's none of your business," she retorts.

"Anything that could compromise the security of the village is our business."

"Me n' Kurama were bound together without consent for 'security,' so I don't buy that for a second. 'Sides, I don't hear you sharin' what you're doing in that shady laboratory of yours!"

Tobirama dismisses, "I'm not obligated to disclose clan secrets."

Naruto accuses, "Then, why should I have to tell you about Kurama? That seems pretty unfair."

"Research is not on the same level as a bijū."

The army of Edo Tensei in the Fourth Shinobi War would beg to differ, but she settles for a heated implication. "I'm not so sure about that."

The hokage steps in, "Let's get back on topic—"

Naruto rounds on him, "I thought the idea behind Konoha was uniting for the sake of peace. All I have ever wanted to do is protect that peace—"

"Do you expect us to just let you get away with a slap on the wrist?!" The civilian leader flinches under Madara's glare, but he stubbornly continues, "I won't have a monster living in the village. I say we banish her."

Some of the council members nod and even Hashirama looks pensive. A few shouts of agreement from the spectators further worsen Naruto's prospects, but the authority in Kirie's voice silences the room as she stands. She boldly asserts, "Any mother would do what she did if they were capable. If this council decides to banish a mother for protecting her child and rescuing the children of several others after all she has done for the betterment of the village, I see no reason for the Shimura clan to remain in Konoha."

A chair scrapes in the gallery. Naruto turns to see Kanako stand in solidarity. "The Aburame clan will withdraw as well."

A few rows ahead, Shizuka joins her. "And the Nara."

As does Hotaru. "Akimichi."

One by one, the matriarch of every clan offers Naruto their support.

"Yamanaka."

"Hyūga."

"Inuzuka."

"Sarutobi."

Following their example, every member of the Konoha Women's Association present in the crowd stands. Dusting imaginary dust off her lap, Mito looks Hashirama in the eye and suggests, "Perhaps, we should call a recess?"

~xXx~

Naruto manages to hold it together until she and Madara get outside. The moment she recognizes one of her fellow KWA members exiting the building, she swoops them into a hug and thanks them. Her words of gratitude grow increasingly unintelligible the harder she sobs, but she gets her message across to every woman she captures in an embrace. Each recipient's reciprocation of the gesture varies, but they all tell her some form of the words, "It was the least I could do after all you've done for us."

When Kirie passes through the threshold, she receives her hug and appreciation graciously. She pulls back to look Naruto in the eye, "After _all_ you've done for this village, _living_ in it should be a given."

"Kirie—"

"I look forward to working with you for years to come."

Naruto sniffles. "Me, too."

With a pat on the shoulder and a small smile, Kirie takes her leave, "I'll see you at the next KWA meeting."

"You bet!"

Surprisingly, quite a few KWA members offer friendly greetings to Madara as they pass by his waiting spot. Unsure what to make of this development, but antsy after waiting for Naruto to finish up, he takes advantage of the lull in her self-appointed mission of gratitude to steer her towards home. He can understand how meaningful of a moment this is for her, but he would like to share the news with the rest of the family.

Once they finally reach the house, Madara makes a beeline for his daughter. Just as soon as Misaki hands her over, he carries the baby over to Izuna's bedside. His brother sits up and asks, "How did it go?"

"Naruto isn't going to be banished because half of the village threatened to secede if she was," Madara answers while adjusting his hold on the babbling baby. He catches Izuna looking at her, and almost asks him if he wants to hold her.

Noticing the conflict on his brother's face, Izuna assures, "It's okay, Nii-san. I'll spoil her rotten when I'm feeling better. Anyway, that's a great outcome considering we were looking at moving the whole clan somewhere else in the worst possible scenario."

Dropping down next to Madara, Naruto adds, "Right?! Everybody in the KWA defended me, ya know!"

Izuna chuckles, "Popular as always, huh?"

Naruto grins. "Yep!"

A whine breaks through the light atmosphere. Both parents look toward the restless baby before looking at Misaki. She answers their unspoken question, "I just changed her diaper recently, so maybe she's hungry?"

"Gotcha," Naruto responds while pulling her long shirt over her head.

Rui and Misaki exclaim, "Wait, don't—"

Madara hisses, "Izuna!"

"Yeah, yeah," Izuna sighs while closing his eyes. "Let me know when it's safe to look."

Rui darts upstairs and returns with a shirt in the time it takes Naruto to toss aside the shirt and remove her bra. She throws it over Naruto's head and tugs it down. Grumbling all the while, Naruto sticks her arms through the holes and lifts the shirt up enough so the baby can feed. Madara hands her the baby and after a cursory check yields no indecency, he announces, "It's safe to look, now."

Blinking his eyes open, Izuna comments, "While we're on the subject, you should probably come up with a name, don't you think?"

Naruto opens her mouth, but Madara cuts her off, "Over my dead body will _any_ of our children be named 'Boruto.'"

She huffs, "Fine, what do _you_ wanna name her?"

"Katsumi," he promptly answers.

Izuna asks, "'Beautiful victory?'"

"I was thinking 'truth in victory,' but I suppose that works, too," Madara replies. He wants her to succeed in life, and what better way to drive that point home than her name?

"That certainly sounds like a name you would pick," Izuna jokes. Everyone turns to Naruto for her reaction.

She hems and haws for a bit before agreeing, "I _do_ like winning..."

"Exactly. Think of how encouraging it is to have 'win' in your _name,_ " Madara pushes.

"That's true..." Naruto gives her daughter a long look. They worry that she's going to insist on her choice, but she nods resolutely. "'Katsumi' it is!"

Everyone else breathes a silent sigh of relief after dodging the particularly unpleasant kunai that is _Uchiha Boruto._

~xXx~

The sun has yet to rise when Madara wakes to a hand slipping underneath his sleep clothes. He drowsily warns, "Naruto."

Her fully alert reply is slightly muffled as she presses her front into his back, "Yeah?"

"The doctor said—"

"—four to six weeks. It's been four and you're outta your mind if you think I'm gonna wait two more. _Today is the day,_ " she finishes. An insistent squeeze of his morning wood punctuates her statement. She draws a ragged exhale out of him as she roughly palms his glans.

He supposes her healing factor _would_ render the extra two weeks unnecessary. Four weeks to heal was probably excessive for Naruto, anyway.

Madara rolls to face her. Groping him all the while, Naruto drags him down to her eye-level and pulls him into a kiss. He slips a hand between her thighs and she hitches a leg over his hips to give him better access. It's not all that surprising to feel how wet she is. One finger slips in easily, so he wastes no time inserting a second. Rubbing the rigid spot inside her and massaging her clit concurrently loosens her enough to add a third finger and makes her gasp into his mouth.

Never one to be shown up, Naruto resumes rolling her tongue over his and roughly pumps his shaft. The hand that had been itching his scalp wanders south to run a finger up and down the seam of his scrotum. Madara inhales sharply and nearly releases, but Naruto squeezes his dick to stop him. She snickers, "Not so fast, hotshot."

Letting go of his dick and gripping the back of his thigh, she drags their hips closer together. Madara lifts her leg and firmly grasps her butt as he lines himself up with her opening. With a single thrust, they're connected once more.

They indulge in the friction as they rock against each other. Madara quickly grows aggravated with how little freedom of movement their position allows and rolls Naruto onto her back. Her fingers curl into the sheets as he roughly grips her hips and rams into her at a different angle. They're both approaching the edge when a cry from the next room halts Madara in his tracks.

Naruto throws her head back and whines, "Don't stop no~w!"

Already rising from his hunched position, Madara argues, "Katsumi—"

Refusing to let him go, Naruto hooks her legs around him and jerks her hips. The intoxicating coil around his dick brings him back down to his knees and close enough for her to lock her arms around his neck. "I have an itch for you to scratch and she'll be fine until we're done, ya know."

Try as he might to get up, Naruto uses gravity to her advantage as she stubbornly hangs off of him. The bucking of her hips and gnawing on his neck aren't helping matters, either. Madara forces out the words, "How do you know?"

"Maternal instinct," she easily returns.

When the third attempt to grab her hips fails, he hisses, "You've been a mother for barely a month."

"Fine," she groans and makes a hand seal. A kage bunshin appears in a puff of smoke beside them. Naruto orders, "Go check on Katsumi—"

The clone refuses, "You go. I'll stay here with Madara—"

Naruto scowls. "The hell? We're already in the middle of it, if ya couldn't tell!"

"So? I can tag in," the clone retorts with a leer at his and Naruto's joined hips.

"Fine, whatever, just help me," the original snaps before hooking her heels around Madara's knees and spreading his thighs. "Get 'im."

The clone grins conspiratorially and moves behind him. "You got it!"

"Wha—" Madara's question abruptly breaks off into a cry of surprise. A shiver travels up his spine as knuckles brush the sensitive skin of his perineum. Between the teeth on his neck, the muscles clenching around his dick, and this new mind-blowing sensation betwixt his legs, Madara doesn't last long. He sees white as a violent orgasm wracks his body. Naruto falls back onto the futon as Madara loses strength in his limbs and collapses on top of her. He hears a low whistle from behind him before the clone disappears in a puff of smoke.

"The things I do for you," Naruto huffs while rolling him onto his back and getting to her feet. On her way out their bedroom door, she warns, "We're starting round two once I get back, so don't fall asleep!"

Still trying to catch his breath, Madara wonders just _who_ taught her to do _that._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No worries, the next installment will be posted before the end of the month.


End file.
